The Beast That I Am
by OrionPax09
Summary: Every time Shinobu watched Keitaro getting abused, something in her ached to do something to protect him. To stop his tormentors. And to make him see her as something more than a shy little girl. Rating may change. Naru-bashing.
1. Koalla's Special Delivery

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 1: Kaolla's Special Delivery

As Shinobu Maehara worked atop the Hinata Inn, hanging a load of freshly cleaned laundry up to dry, she paused to look out and take in the lovely day that she had been graced with. The sky was sunny with few clouds, warm breezes gently tossed the laundry she had already hung and would soon dry it, and as always, the area surrounding the Hinata Inn was absolutely gorgeous, and the terrace she was on afforded her a perfect view of it all. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the wind carrying their fragrant aroma up to her, adding to her already buoyant mood.

_I can hardly believe that my life wasn't always like this,_ Shinobu thought, her mood darkening somewhat when she thought about what things had been like before she had come to live there. When she had gone through the motions of life, but not truly _feeling_ alive.

Shinobu considered herself to be a fairly average girl, if a bit shy; she had gone to school, taken her lessons. While the other girls frequently lost themselves in conversation during their break periods, she more often than not found herself standing off to the side, looking at them, envying their openness, and wishing that she could open up to them as easily. And while she did still go to school, was still shy, things were much worse back then. Every day, her inability to deal with people, to open up and talk had made her a target for the bullies that seemed to haunt the halls of every school there was. And when Shinobu had come home to tell her parents about her problems, it invariably backfired, with the only advice being to stay away from rowdy girls, to stay to herself and be safe, be a good, obedient girl.

Her parents. Shinobu winced at the thought of them. For while she was certain that they cared for her in her mind, her heart still ached at the hideous, angry bickering that so frequently filled their home. Her father was frequently accused of having affairs, her mother's seeming inadequacy to do well by Shinobu, and so many other arguments. Her parents always screaming at other, always justifying it by saying that they were trying to do what was best for her.

_What's best for me,_ Shinobu thought, those painful memories still with her. It had gotten easier for her to leave them behind for the most part, they didn't haunt her the way they used to, but it wasn't until she had finally found the courage to put her foot down and make her own decisions that her parents had finally stopped to listen. And even then, they would have likely disregarded her wishes, if it weren't for a special someone helping her to make those wishes become reality...

As the face of that special someone floated in her mind, Shinobu felt her cheeks burn just the slightest bit as she negative memories faded. No longer was she allowing her parents and their arguments dictate her life for her. They had moved away from the hot spring laden town of Hinata, and they each had their own lives now. And while the young girl still loved them both, and occasionally missed them, she knew that she couldn't let them keep imposing their will on her. She had to live her own life, not them run it for her.

_And it's times like this that I'm glad I did,_ Shinobu thought as she hung another piece of laundry from the line. She had truly found her niche in the Hinata Inn, earning her living as the resident chef, as well as other duties such as cleaning and laundry, all skills she had cultivated at her parents former restaurant. She had learned to open up, stand up for herself, make friends. _And...it's all thanks to..._

_"Keitaro, you pervert!"_ came an earsplitting cry of sheer disgust and hatred, one that effortlessly shattered the peaceful day Shinobu had been enjoying and very nearly knocking her off the terrace. As it was, she crouched and braced herself for possible disaster as another familiar voice cried out in pain. A moment later, she spotted a human figure careening uncontrollably through the air. Crying out in dismay, Shinobu watched as the person that could only be Keitaro Urashima tumbled out of sight, becoming nothing more than a twinkle in the blue sky, leaving behind nothing but his cries of protest.

Staring after him for a moment, Shinobu felt her previously sunny mood crumble into nothingness. _And it's times like this that I wonder what I was thinking,_ the young girl thought as she glanced over in the direction of the hot springs. They were on the far side of the Inn, so she couldn't see what had happened for herself. But she had a pretty good guess. The same thing that happened seemingly every single day; Naru Narusegawa taking a minor accident and blowing it completely out of proportion.

As much as Shinobu enjoyed her new life at the Hinata Inn, there were times when she was baffled by and had difficulties with the residents of what had slowly become known to the rest of the town as the 'craziest, freakiest, most utterly insane place that was ever built'. And by far the most difficult of them was Naru.

For the most part, Naru came off as a fairly normal girl. She had a full figure with long, light brown hair, and was very pleasant to be with most of the time. Except for the fact that she had issues, and each of those issues revolved around men.

To hear Naru talk, men were the root of all evil, perverted and lusting and scheming and would do anything to take advantage of beautiful women, who they would subsequently discard like a toy they were bored with. And while she did sometimes give indicators that there were men that were exceptions to this rule, the young male student that was the manager and owner of the Hinata Inn was unfortunately not one of them. Time after time, Keitaro would be doing something completely innocuous, such as making repairs to the Inn or tending to the grounds, and she would immediately interpret whatever he was doing as being perverted. To make matters worse, the aspiring student of Tokyo-U was something of a klutz, and with the number of females living at the Inn, that frequently put him in compromising situations that Naru would quickly declare to be all his fault, and would subsequently punch him with all her strength, with the result frequently being him being launched up and away, just like moments before.

_Sometimes, I think 'you pervert' and 'it's all Keitaro's fault' are the only things she ever says,_ Shinobu thought wearily, wondering why someone would insist on tormenting someone who was blessed with such a good heart. A question made even more perplexing by the fact that Naru wasn't Keitaro's only tormentor. Far from it, in fact.

The second of Keitaro's tormentors was Motoko Aoyama, a raven-haired beauty of martial artist and a female swordsmen whose skill had made her a local legend. Unfortunately, her devotion to the perfection of her fighting skills had apparently come at expense of polishing her social skills. She had extreme difficulty in relating to others in general, and men and particular. And when she found herself confronted with an awkward or embarrassing situation, she would attempt to solve her dilemma with her blade. And once again, Keitaro's clumsiness meant that he had been on the receiving end of her formidable skills with unfortunate frequency.

The third of Shinobu's fellow residents was also the only one she had known before coming to live at the Hinata Inn. The exuberant Kaolla Su was a transfer student from the country of Molmol, of which she was the princess of, and attended the same school as Shinobu. But while the young cook didn't have a problem getting along with tanned blonde, she frequently found herself flummoxed by her hyperactive tendencies. She was a whirling dervish of activity, seeming to have no setting between off and overdrive, and was frequently expressing her affection of others by hugging them. Or in Keitaro's case, kicking him in the head.

Sighing somewhat ruefully as she thought of the antics of her fellow residents, Shinobu then found herself thinking of Mitsune Konno, who was quite likely the most approachable of the girls there. Unfortunately, Kitsune as she was often called had her own quirks. Like the mythical creature that was the source of her nickname, she had a foxy air to her, her eyes frequently narrowed to the point of seeming closed, and a love for playing tricks on others. Whenever things got quiet around the Hinata Inn, she would find a way of stirring up trouble with one of her practical jokes, the end result of which was Keitaro being placed in one of those unfortunately awkward positions, with the inevitable result of him again being launched into Low Earth Orbit.

_And he doesn't deserve that,_ Shinobu morosely thought, all thoughts of continuing with the laundry forgotten as she continued to look out in the distance. Knowing that somewhere, Keitaro was picking himself out of some crater, possibly sending people screaming in astonishment and horror that anyone could survive such a crash landing, before making his way back here. The fact that he was incredibly resilient to injury the only reason he had survived the many, _many _attacks on his person. _He's the only reason I'm here, that I have...anything!_

With this thought, Shinobu flashed back to the day she had first met Keitaro. The aspiring student had been sitting nearby, sketching passerby, and found the young girl worthy of being inscribed in his sketchbook, which he had subsequently lost due to his own clumsiness. Before long, he and the other girls there had learned of her parents' divorce, their arguing over who got custody of her, as well as their intents to move away, which eventually ended up with him offering her the chance to make her choice, as well as her position at the Hinata Inn, a choice that freed her to make her own path in life, to do something with herself for the first time. It was because of him that she was able to smile once again, to escape all the pain and turmoil that her parents had brought into her life.

_And I keep standing around, doing nothing while Naru punishes him for things that aren't his fault,_ Shinobu concluded, issuing a helpless sigh as she echoed this thought with the question she always asked after Keitaro was abused for no reason; what could she do to stop it? And it was a question that the young cook had no answer to.

Her attempts to protest Naru's, Motoko's, and Kaolla's assault had met in dismal failure. The older girls were quick and consistent in placing the blame for everything that happened squarely on Keitaro, and they were even quicker to punish him for it, never bothering to give him a chance to explain himself. Whenever Shinobu worked up the courage to tell them that what they were doing was wrong, her words were met by insane logic that cast the manager of the Inn of a deceitful monster, if not flat-out ignored. As for the Molmol princess, she didn't consider what she did to Keitaro to be abuse. It was all fun and games to her. Not to mention the fact that she was a notoriously bad at listening to reason to begin with, always ignoring things she didn't want to listen to, such as the principal's orders to not bring her inventions to school.

_And...I'm the youngest, so...I guess it's no surprise that they don't listen to me, _Shinobu thought woefully, frowning at this echo of her previous life. Wincing at the painful burning this started in her, a spark that could easily be fanned into anger.

Shinobu forced this spark down and extinguished it before it could spread. If there was anything she had learned in living with her parents, it's that anger never solved anything. All of their furious shouting and accusations had only served to make her parents and Shinobu herself miserable, and ultimately destroyed their lives with each other. Naru and Motoko always acted on anger, lashing out uncontrollably and making Keitaro's life miserable, when all they had to do was stop for a few moments and they would see it wasn't his fault. That he was a kind person, not a target to be abused at every opportunity.

_Still...I wish I could do something. Something to make them all stop,_ Shinobu thought woefully as she continued to work. But even as she did so, she knew that wishing didn't make things happen. And that the only thing she could do was to be ready to greet Keitaro when he finally got back, smile and reassure him that there was at least one person at the Hinata Inn that was always happy to have him around.

* * *

><p><em>Why me?<em> Keitaro couldn't help but wonder as he made the long trek back to the Hinata Inn, the minor aches and pains riddling his body nothing compared to the memory of the look of pure poison Naru had shot at him before once again punching him into the air. _Why I am always messing up? Why? _Heaving a weary sigh, the bespectacled young man let his gaze fall down to his own feet as he continued onwards. As was usual, he couldn't understand what he had done wrong this time.

It had all started with Keitaro conducting his usual weekly inspection of the Hinata Inn, looking it over from the ground up, looking to see what needed to be repaired. He had gone through the empty Inn, making sure to avoid places such as the occupied rooms and the laboratory that Kaolla maintained beneath the building. But otherwise, he had made certain to conduct a thorough inspection, one that ended with the hot springs.

Of all the places at the Hinata Inn, the hot springs was at the top of the list of places Keitaro tried to steer clear of, but at the same time, it was someplace he frequently had to go in order to make repairs or clean up or conduct some form of basic maintenance. _And it seems like every time I end up there, Naru or someone else is taking a bath or something, and- boom! More frequent flyer miles without even looking at an airplane!_

Another weary sigh escaping his lips, Keitaro thought back to earlier, just before he had been launched into Low Earth Orbit. He had been very careful as he had approached the hot springs, pausing to make doubly and even triply sure that there was no sign up to indicate that any of the Inn's female residents were present. Then he had called out, speaking as loudly and clearly as he could as he asked if there was anyone in the hot springs. When these were met with silence, he worked up the courage to poke his head out into the hot springs area, quickly glancing about to see if anyone had fallen asleep in there. Again, there was no one. And with this final confirmation, he had set out a sign by the door, alerting everyone who might arrive that the springs area was temporarily closed for maintenance before setting to work, determined to get in and out of there as quickly as possible.

For ten minutes, Keitaro had been working hard mopping up the walkways and pounding fresh nails into loose boards. He had checked this and that, making sure that everything was in perfect condition. And he had just about been done with his labors when the outraged squawk caused him to look about to see Naru standing at the entrance, nude save for the towel she had wrapped about her full figure, and an angry scowl twisting her otherwise beautiful face.

"Why, you...!" Naru had started, her fist quaking in readiness.

A drop of sweat rolling down his head in anticipation of his apparent doom, Keitaro shot to his feet, waving his hands before him. "N-now wait a second! I was just making some repairs, that's all! Really, I -!"

"Shut up! Whatever it is, I don't want to hear it! Just stand right there and take your punishment!" Naru screeched, huge red veins bulging from her forehead as she raced up towards her, her fist cocked and at the ready. _"Keitaro, you pervert!"_

His ears filled with her deafening screech, Keitaro's gaze was filled with stars and comets as he felt himself lift up right towards them. When they cleared, the entire world was a crazy blur as he tumbled through the air at high speed, unable to make out in which direction he had been sent flying in or how much longer he hand until gravity reclaimed him. Which was quite frankly the only upside to his recent flight; there was nothing quite like being able to see that you were about crash headfirst into a building or a pile of rocks or into a passing airplane or whatever it was that he was going to smash into.

_Even if you happen to be basically indestructible,_ Keitaro thought ruefully even as his aches and pains faded. Well aware that just about anything human would have been reduced to chunky salsa after this or any other time he was sent flying. A fact that he was reminded of not that long ago after his most recent flight was terminated when he crashed into the side of a building. As was usual for this sort of thing, it had taken him a couple seconds to recover from the impact enough to realize that, yes, he was still alive, and even longer for him to decide that it would be a good idea to get out of the pile of rubble he had found himself trapped in. Only to come to full awareness and see several people looking at him in astonishment before turning to run away from him in horror.

_Oh, no! It's a zombie! _echoed one of the cries of horror in his mind. _Help! It's still alive!_ came another one. Leaving Keitaro to sigh once again, shaking his head wearily. _I sure don't feel alive...why'd Naru attack me _this _time? I know_ _I hung up the warning sign! I _know_ I did!_ But even as he thought this, the bespectacled young man shook his head morosely. _Then again...it's not like a sign would do me any good...not with Naru, anyway..._

It never seemed to fail. No matter how careful Keitaro was, either something random would happen to put him in bad position, or he would slip and fall and wind up looking at a girl in a state of undress or have his hands where they ought not to be, and then the blows would be raining down on him. With Naru leading the assault almost every single time. It had gotten to the point where he barely even bothered to defend himself; he had a target on his back, and there was no getting rid of it.

_Of course, I'm the manager, so I should be able to do something,_ Keitaro thought wearily. _But what can I do, other than evict the girls?_ Even as he thought this, the aspiring college student knew this wasn't an option. Right now, the Hinata Inn had only four paying residents staying there, and three of them constantly assaulted him while the fourth was always milking him for money or stirring up some other form of trouble. He would be perfectly justified in booting them all out...but then they would be out of tenants, and he and the Inn would be out of business.

_Not that it matters. The instant I tried something like that - boom!_ Shuddering at the thought of the savage beating such an action would earn him, Keitaro felt his heart sink that much more. _And I can't just...give up being manager...I have nowhere else to go._ _And even if I did...I can't just...give up.._._I..._

His thoughts breaking down, Keitaro just kept on walking, until at long last he arrived at a familiar flight of stairs. Coming to a halt, he slowly, reluctantly looked up the stone staircase, and the Inn that they led to. _Naru...why?_ he thought woefully, as if he could see the cause of his torment, both physical and emotional. _All I've ever done...I just wanted...and all you ever do..._ Again his chain of thought broke apart, leaving him with nothing but unanswered questions. And with nothing to do but accept his fate and start up the stairs, hoping that he wouldn't have to climb them again this day.

After a long climb, staring at nothing but his own feet, the bespectacled young man was brought back to the present when a young voice piped up and said, "Um...hello, sempai."

Starting at the sound of a female voice, his every instinct preparing him for doom, Keitaro flung up his arms in anticipation of a possible attack as he looked up at the speaker. Only for his heartbeat to settle down for what passed for normal for him before smiling sheepishly. "Oh, hi there, Shinobu," he greeted the young girl before lowering his arms. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Well...I thought someone should be here. You know...for when you got back," Shinobu replied, bringing her hands together in expression of nervousness as she came up to him. "I mean...well..."

As the young cook trailed off, Keitaro smiled and nodded. "Ah, I see," he told her as he came up to her and bent down so as to look her in the face. "Well, I really do appreciate that, Shinobu. Thank you."

Issuing a tiny gasp, Shinobu's cheeks colored somewhat as she took a step back. "Uh, you're welcome," she replied, smiling cutely as he stood up straight. "So, uh...are you...okay?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Keitaro answered, not wanting to talk about his latest trip on Naru Knuckle Airlines. "So, uh...has anything happened while I was...?" Shinobu quickly shook her head to this, leaving the aspiring Tokyo-U student grateful that he wouldn't be confronted with some fresh hell so soon after his long trek back. "So, uh..." he started, trying to think of something else to say, "do you have anything special planned for dinner tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking about ell teiyaki tonight. I have everything I need for it," Shinobu quickly reported. "But, uh..."

Frowning somewhat, Keitaro cocked his head to the side before asking, "What is it, Shinobu? Is something wrong?"

"Well, no. Not exactly," Shinobu answered. "It's just...I've been meaning to tell you this, but we're running a bit low on food. I can get by for now, but..."

"I see," Keitaro understandingly. "Alright. I call the grocers and arrange for a delivery. Sound good?" Shinobu's answer was a bright smile and a cheerful nod. "Okay. How about we get inside then. Before anything else happens today?"

"Uh, okay!" Shinobu replied, and as easily as that, the young chef and the bespectacled young man started forward again, walking alongside each other.

_Thanks, Shinobu, _Keitaro thought, looking at the cute, cheerful girl that had come to stay with them. _It's nice to know that there's at least _one _person I can be open with. _With that thought, however, some of his earlier gloom returned, along with the face of another girl. _It's too bad that..._

Wishing he could be free of such thoughts, Keitaro continued forward with Shinobu as the two of them entered the Hinata Inn. Evening already falling, plunging the area into peace and quiet.

* * *

><p>A couple days passed since his most recent flight, time which Keitaro spent doing his utmost to not wind up in a situation that would get him sent flying or smashed against a wall or some other disastrous mess. Instead, he spent the bulk of his time in his office, cooped up with books and studying his mind out for his next college admission. <em>Let's see now...A equals X at the inverse of...or was that A equals Z at the...<em> he thought, trying desperately to make sense of the techno babble that littered the pages.

"Hey, Keitaro!" came the voice of Naru, prompting the bespectacled young man to immediately panic. Initially wondering what he could have possibly done to incite her wrath while sitting quietly in his office, he turned to face her, a horde of apologies on his tongue when he realized that her face wasn't angry or dangerous or even slightly annoyed. "Listen, could you help me with something?"

"Huh? H-help?" Keitaro sputtered out as he slowly realized that he wasn't doomed to be sent rocketing through several walls. As his heart slowly settled down, he cleared his throat and asked, "Uh, what with? Has something happened?"

"There's a deliveryman outside, and he says he has a package for Kaolla," Naru explained, still speaking in that same polite, considerate voice.

_"Another _one?" Keitaro asked, his eyebrows raising at this. "That's, what, the fifth one in two weeks?"

"At least," Naru confirmed, her long, light brown hair seeming to dance as she nodded. "Anyway, Kaolla's not in her room, and we haven't been able to find her anywhere else."

"Have you checked her lab?" Keitaro wondered, thinking of the complex system of tunnels that were built beneath the Inn long before the Inn even existed. Tunnels that had since been modified and put to more current use, such as storage and the underground laboratory that Kaolla maintained. "She _has _been spending an awful lot of time down there lately."

"We already thought of that, but to be honest, I'd rather not go down there. Not unless I have to," Naru confessed with a worried frown. Keitaro honestly couldn't blame her for this; though a genius in her own right, Kaolla's inventions tended to be as unpredictable as she was. "Anyway, he says that if Kaolla isn't around to sign for it, he'll have to take the...whatever it is back to the office for storage. So I need you to come sign for it."

"Me?" Keitaro replied, hoping against hope that he had heard her wrong. "But...if this thing is for Kaolla, then what good can I do?"

"Well, you're supposed to be the manager here, aren't you?" Naru cried out, her voice a mix of pleading and annoyance. "Can't you just tell him that you'll sign for it and give it to Kaolla later?"

Heaving a tired breath, Keitaro was about to tell her that he really doubted that such delivery services operated that way, that they had to be responsible for the care and safe delivery of each and every package they delivered, and that meant getting that package safely from the sender to the intended receiver, not the receiver's landlord. But even as he considered this, he knew it would be of no use. It was clear that Naru wanted results, not excuses. Excuses would only serve to make her mad at him, and Naru mad at him equaled getting pummeled and punched through walls and other things that were not only unpleasant to endure, but were also quite difficult to clean up and repair. So he heaved a sigh that made it clear that he was resigned to his fate, and answered, "Well...I guess I could talk to him, see if I can arrange for something..."

"Okay," Naru replied with a satisfied smile on her face. "C'mon! I'll lead the way."

Taking in this smile, Keitaro again sighed and followed a polite distance behind. _What can't she _always _be this easy to deal with?_ he found himself wondering, making certain that he didn't look he was staring at her posterior or doing anything that would earn him even more frequent flyer miles. Anything that turned the sunny, kind, friendly person Naru was with others into the snarling beast that she so easily became in his presence. _What do I keep doing wrong? Why can't I just not be a klutz and stop screwing things up?_

Unsurprisingly, the answers to Keitaro's questions eluded him, the same way they eluded him every single day. Leaving him with nothing to do save for following Naru outside the Hinata Inn, past the annex to where a white shipping truck marked with a logo saying "Worldwide Shipping" was parked. Standing nearby was a man in a light tan jumpsuit armed with a clipboard, as well as short-haired woman in an extremely formfitting pants and blue shirt. "Kitsune!" Naru called out as they approached. "Kitsune, I found him!"

Turning to face the newcomers, Kitsune smiled and rushed up to them. "Well, thank goodness y'all did!" she announced, speaking with her usual Kansai twang. Then she focused on the young college student and leaned in towards him. "Ya gotta talk some sense into this jarhead, Keitaro! He wants to take off without even bothering to give Kaolla her whatever-it-is he's supposed to be delivering!"

"Look, lady, it's like I've already told you. I can't just go around handing out stuff to just anybody," the deliveryman grumbled aloud, sounding more tired than anything else. Then he gestured towards the open back of his truck, which was dominated by a large wooden crate. "Ms. Kaolla Su paid in advance to have this delivered to her, which means that I either deliver it to Ms. Kaolla Su, or I don't deliver it, period!" Then he turned and glared at Keitaro before adding, "And your boyfriend over there sure isn't a _Ms._ Kaolla Su, so either she shows up in the next thirty seconds, or she can drive out to the home office and pick this thing up herself!"

"Look, first of all, this pervert _isn't _my boyfriend!" Naru immediately retorted, folding her arms across her chest as she marched up to the deliveryman. "He's the landlord of the Hinata Inn, and -!"

"And I don't care if he's the emperor himself! He _still _isn't Ms. Kaolla Su! Which mean he _ain't _signing for this here package, and _I _ain't leaving it with someone other than the intended recipient!" the deliveryman loudly snorted. "Now, if that will be all..."

"No, that will _not _be all!" Naru snarled wrathfully. Then she turned to Keitaro and growled, "Well, what are you waiting for? Talk some sense into this jerk already!"

Wincing at this, Keitaro sighed, already aware that he was effectively doomed. The fact of the matter was that the deliveryman was just following the standard operating rules of his company, and they were sensible ones, geared to protect the interests of both the people sending and receiving whatever packages he was charged with delivering. But at the same time, he knew that Naru wouldn't be satisfied with that, and with an unfortunately practical reason that he was painfully aware of. So, steeling himself for the disaster that seemed inevitable, the bespectacled young man stepped forward. "Look, sir, I realize that you're just trying to do your job, but the fact of the matter is that Kaolla _can't _drive herself out to your office! _None _of us can! I mean, look!" With that, Keitaro gestured at the parking lot, which was empty save for the deliveryman's own truck. "We don't have any cars. I have to have all our supplies delivered here. And it's not like we can take a cab to pick up something like _that!"_

Glancing at the empty parking lot, the deliveryman exhaled sharply before holding up his hands in placating fashion. "Eh, look, kid...I get that you've got difficulties. Believe me, I've got plenty of my own! But rules are rules! I try to bend them, I could wind up out of job! And believe me when I say I can't afford to lose this job!"

"Oh, I believe you!" Keitaro assured him. "But...do you have any more deliveries to make today?"

"Yeah, three more! Which is why I really have to get going!" the deliveryman replied with growing impatience.

Sensing a possible happy ending in sight, Keitaro carefully suggested, "Well, then, maybe after you make your other stops, you could come back here." The deliveryman furrowed his brows in consideration, something that gave the young landlord cause for hope. "That'll give us more time to track down Kaolla, and then -!"

"You don't have to track me down!" squealed an unusually accented voice, one that let out a whoop of delight. "I'm right here over here! Whee!"

Recognizing the voice, Keitaro let out a sigh of relief even as the girls turned about. "Kaolla!" Naru smiled as the bespectacled landlord started turning. "We were wondering where you were! This man says he has something for you, and -!"

"Yay! It's here it's here!" Kaolla cried out exuberantly just as Keitaro looked at her...his eyes going wide when he saw a tan foot flying straight at him. He barely had enough time to realize what was about to happen when the young foreigner's foot slammed into him at full speed, the sound of his nose crunching filling his ears as he was sent crashing down to the ground. The sudden meeting of his skull with concrete once again introducing him to the sight of stars and comets, the young manager could do nothing but stand there as Kaolla jumped off and came to stand before the deliveryman. "It's finally here!"

"Then I take it that _you're _Ms. Kaolla Su?" the deliveryman asked in a slightly more polite voice.

"Yup! That's me!" Kaolla grinned eagerly, pointing at her own face with both hands.

"Then you won't mind showing me some ID?" the deliveryman asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all!" Kaolla promptly responded before she started rooting about the pockets of her school uniform. After a moment's searching, she grinned and pulled out her wallet. "There! That's me!" she announced, opening her wallet for the deliveryman. "Can I have my package now?"

"Hmm..." the deliveryman frowned slightly as he studied the ID card in question. "Well, everything seems to be in order." Sounding tired and relieved at once, he then brought forth his clipboard and held out a pen for her. "So if you'll just sign right here..."

"Okays!" Kaolla grinned eagerly, practically snatching both pen and clipboard out of the deliveryman's hand. Rapidly scrawling her name, she then handed it back to him. "There you go!"

Pausing to study the signature, the deliverymen nodded. "Thank you very much then, Ms. Kaolla Su," he smiled, speaking in a brisk, cheerful manner. "Now, will you be needing any help bringing this thing in?"

"Nope! I got all the help I need right here!" Kaolla announced, bringing forth a small remote control device. His eyes going wide at the sight of his, Keitaro realized that now might be a good idea to get up and get moving, lest he once again tempt fate into kicking him where it hurt. So he scrambled to his feet just as Kaolla hit a series of buttons and fiddled with the control stick.

"Say, what is that...huh?" the deliveryman asked, only to cut himself off when a mechanical whir was heard. A look of confusion appearing on his face, he craned his head over to the side, only for his eyes and mouth to pop open.

"That's right! Come this ways!" Kaolla crooned merrily as two of her turtle-shaped Mecha-Tama robots flew into view. "The new part just came, so get it down to the lab right now, okays?" Unsure if the robots were responding to her voice commands are she was just talking to them for the heck of it, Keitaro carefully distanced himself from the floating automatons as they made their way up to the truck. As he and everyone else there watched, the two robots each deployed a set of tentacles that ended in four-fingered hands. Moving with considerable dexterity, they grabbed hold of the crate, their engines whirring even more loudly as they lifted it off the truck and started carrying it away.

"Heh heh heh! I'm so close!" Kaolla grinned excitedly as she followed her robots a few steps before pausing to laugh in a way that made Keitaro's hair stand on end. "Just two more components, and it'll be ready! It'll finally be complete! Wa ha ha ha ha!"

Keitaro really didn't like the sound of the mad scientist's cackle that Kaolla was giving voice to, and from the looks of the other girls present, it was obvious they felt the same. The three of them glanced at each other before Kitsune focused on the young princess. "So, uh...Ah guess that means that you'll be getting a couple more packages pretty soon, huh?"

Starting at this, as if she had forgotten that anyone else was even there, Kaolla turned and looked them for a moment. "That's right!" she then replied exuberantly. "I've been working on a new project! A really _big _one!"

"Ah see!" Kitsune replied, sounding more nervous than she likely intended. "And this...project you're workin' on...Ah don't suppose ya could tell us what it is?

Kaolla seemed to consider this for a moment. "Of course I can!" she finally announced. Then she narrowed her eyes a grinned so broadly that it seemed inevitable that her face would split in half. "But it'll be much more fun if it's a surprise!" she announced, punctuating this declaration with a pronounced giggle. A giggle that seemed to graduate to an evil laugh as she turned and darted away, skipping merrily along.

As the other three residents of the Hinata stood there, staring stupidly at the door Kaolla had disappeared into, Kitsune cleared her throat nervously. "Am Ah the only getting a _reeeeal_ bad feeling about this?"

"Nope," Keitaro despairingly, tears of doom running down his cheeks.

"I wish I could say you were," Naru seconded, a drop of sweat rolling down the side of her head.

"Ah was afraid of that," Kitsune muttered, chuckling nervously before, as if on cue, the three of them lowered their heads with a sense of impending doom.

"Boy. And here I was wondering why none of my buddies wanted to make a second run to this place," the deliveryman muttered, shaking his head in slow disbelief. "Well, if that'll be all for today, ladies and gent, I'd best get going. I've still got the rest of my deliveries to attend...and I get the feeling that the sooner I get outta here, the better!"

Not bothering to answer, Keitaro simply stood there as the deliveryman closed up the back of his truck and got back behind the wheel. Unable to disagree with him, and already wondering what catastrophe was about to land squarely upon his head.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Well, this is my first venture in writing a Love Hina story. I hope everyone will treat it mercifully while they read and review. And maybe check out some of my other stories?<p>

The idea for this story came to me as a result of my discussing certain projects with Emperor Nescaro. I won't give anything away right now, but I will say that the basis of this story involves Shinobu getting some serious payback. For those of you who have been following me on DeviantArt, you might already have a pretty good clue as to what I've got in mind. As for the rest of you, the next few chapters will prove most illuminating...


	2. Shinobu's Secret Mission

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 2: Shinobu's Secret Mission

"She didn't want say what she was working on?" Motoko frowned, her eyes narrowing with wariness, looking very much the consummate warrior as she stood off to the side in her training kimono. Her right hand was resting upon the hilt of her trusted blade Shisui, a clear sign of her tension. "I don't like this."

"You and me both," Kitsune replied, a nervous chill running up and down her spine as she lounged about on the living room sofa, looking at the other girls and Keitaro as they looked amongst each other. All of them wearing similar expressions of worry and dread.

Kitsune didn't like feeling this way, all worked up and anxious. These were the kind of emotions she had a horrible time dealing with, the kind that quickly had her turning to booze in order to put whatever was bothering her out of her mind. But even she knew that there was no escaping the fact that she and everyone living in and around the Hinata Inn was facing a possible crisis.

_Not like that's anything new,_ Kitsune was forced to admit. The former apartment and current all-girls' dorm was very much a magnet for all things strange, unusual, and bizarre, with the inexplicable being almost commonplace there. This, oddly enough, was a bonus as far as the foxy woman was concerned; if there was anything she hated, it was being bored. And not only was the rent at the Hinata Inn the lowest she had ever seen, due in part to its reputation, but there were always ways of amusing herself, from scoring a hot guy in the nearby town to the many hot springs available, and even more interesting sites and hot spots. And if things were getting a little ho-hum, then all she had to do was do something like remove the maintenance sign from the hot springs when Keitaro was working in there, and soon enough Naru would arrive and send him flying. _And that's something that _never_ gets old!_ she thought, allowing her lip to curl upwards before returning her thoughts to the present. _Too bad I can't deal with our current problems as easily..._

"I don't understand. Why didn't Kaolla tell you what she's working on?" Shinobu wondered, a worried expression on her young face. "It's not like her to be secretive."

"At least not as far as her inventions are concerned," Kitsune agreed, thinking of the many antics of the perpetually barefooted girl. "She brings those darned things to school like they're kids' toys! And she's always bragging about them!"

"So what makes _this_ one so different?" Keitaro frowned, bringing his hand to his mouth in a gesture of thought. "Why wouldn't she tell us what's she working on?"

"I don't know, but whatever it is, I think we should find out. And the sooner, the better," Naru muttered worriedly.

"You don't think that Kaolla's planning on doing something bad, do you?" Shinobu asked, turning a nervous look towards Naru.

"That depends on your definition of bad," Motoko commented, her voice level and ready. "I don't believe that Kaolla plans on doing us any harm, but unfortunately, she also has a tendency to not think ahead, to consider the potential consequences of her inventions." Giving this a moment to sink, the swordsman narrowed her eyes, as if she were already gearing up for battle. "Furthermore, we already know that her inventions sometimes malfunction, or don't work the way she intended."

"That's right. And I think we _all _remember what happened the _last_ time one of her robots went rogue," Naru muttered ominously.

Shuddering memory of that day when one of Kaolla's Mecha-Tama grew to about as large as Godzilla and every bit as dangerous, Kitsune watched as Motoko nodded. "Right. And if Kaolla's secretiveness is any indicator, then her current project could very well be far more dangerous. Which means it's in our best interest to find out exactly what it is _before _she can complete it."

"Well, at least we know we have some time," Keitaro interjected. "From what Kaolla said, she still needs two more packages before she can finish this...whatever it is."

"That's true, but considering how many packages she's been getting recently, it could be only a matter of days before the final components arrive and we are left dealing with..." Motoko countered, the silence left in the wake of her words speaking volumes. "Therefore, we have to find out what this secret project of hers is now, and if need be, take steps to neutralize it."

"Neutralize it?" Shinobu got out, her voice going up an octave.

"But Motoko, we already asked Kaolla what this thing is, and she wouldn't tell us," Naru protested. "So how are we going to find out?"

"There's only one option open to us," Motoko declared, taking a firm hold of her blade. "I'll have to infiltrate her lab, and find out for myself."

This statement garnered a hushed gasp from everyone there, not that Kitsune blamed them. "Go down to Kaolla's lab? Without her knowing about it?" Naru got out, her eyes wide with shock. "Motoko, are you serious? What about her security system?"

Fixing Naru with her steely gaze, Motoko responded, "Don't worry. I've dealt with Kaolla's machines before. I'm certainly capable of bypassing her defenses." Then she narrowed her eyes and added, "In any case, if what Kaolla is building is in some way dangerous to us and the rest of the city, we have to deal with it before she can bring it online. And I'm the best equipped to deal with something dangerous."

For a moment, Kitsune and the others considered this declaration. "Normally, Ah'd be the first to agree with you on that one," the foxy lady began in a carefree voice. "But there's one little problem that you seem to be forgettin'."

"And what would that be?" Motoko wondered, her voice taking on a more dangerous edge as she returned Kitsune's gaze.

"Even if you do somehow manage to slip past Kaolla's security, watcha gonna do if this new contraption of hers turns out to be another Mecha-Tama?" Kitsune asked in a flat, reasonable voice.

Sucking in a breath, Motoko took a step back before narrowing her eyes at Kitsune. "So what if it is?" the raven-haired woman asked, a slight tremor to her words. "I defeated that last one she built, and I can certainly defeat _this _one!" When Kitsune simply lay there, giving her a knowing look, Motoko's cheeks colored before she turned about, her eyes screwed shut. "Assuming that _is _what she's building! Which we don't know for sure!"

"Hey, I'm not saying that you couldn't beat it. If that _is _what we're dealing with," Kitsune explained, suppressing a smirk. "I'm just saying that we don't know what the heck it is Kaolla's workin' on. Heck, it's possible that we're all jus' jumping to conclusions about all this!" An idea taking shape in her mind, the foxy lady explained, "The first thing we need to do is find what exactly she's building. And that means this is a stealth operation, not a search 'n' destroy job!"

"I assure you, Mitsune, that I'm as skilled in the arts of silence and stealth as I am with my sword," Motoko reported gruffly. "I'm more than capable of avoiding detection by Kaolla and her defense systems."

"An' _again,_ if this was a normal caper, Ah wouldn't have a problem!" Kitsune assured her. "But in case ya haven't noticed, Motoko, you have a tendency to get your panties in a twist when it comes to turtles. And anything that looks like a turtle, for that matter."

Motoko again recoiled somewhat, clenching her teeth as a drop of sweat rolled down the side of her head. "I - I am well aware of my...unfortunate phobia of those repugnant, loathsome -!" A tremor running through her body, the swordswoman sucked in a deep, stabilizing breath before closing her eyes and stating in a calmer tone, "However, that does not change the fact that I am still the best one to -!"

"Why, hello there, Tama-chan!" Kitsune called out, a large smirk appearing on her face as she looked off behind Motoko. "Where've you -?"

_"Ahhh! Where? Where is it?"_ Motoko cried out, her cool exterior completely blown to pieces as she whirled about, her sword already in hand as she looked wildly about, searching for any sign of the turtle that was the basis of many of Kaolla's robots and the bane of Motoko's existence. After about ten seconds of searching, the swordswoman was brought up short by the impish giggling that was currently emanating from the foxy woman's lips. And with that, her fear quickly and sharply turned to a low growl of rage. "Kitsune...!"

Chuckling at the glare of wrath and humiliation the swordswoman wore, Kitsune waved her annoyance aside before saying, "I'm sorry, Motoko. I was just trying to make a point here. You start freakin' at the sight of anything that even looks like a turtle, and when you do that, you have a nasty habit of taken' your sword to whatever's got you all worked up." The swordswoman blinked a few times as she considered this, giving the foxy lady a chance to elaborate. "Now, Ah know that Kaolla's caused her share of havoc 'round here, but she's still our friend, right? And I don't want to get her lab all busted up for no good reason. And until we find out what exactly she's cookin' up, we shouldn't be plannin' on start smashing stuff or anything."

Pressing her lips together, Motoko considered this for a time as Keitaro chimed in with, "Besides, what if you attacked something and it blew up? With all the missiles and robots and stuff she's got down there, you could wind up launching the entire Inn into orbit!"

An aggravated hiss slipping free of her lips, Motoko shot a glare at the only male in residence for a time before heaving a sigh of defeat. "Your point is well made," she conceded, sheathing her sword as Keitaro heaved a sigh of relief. "My own...flaws make me unsuitable for such an infiltration, especially given the nature of Kaolla's equipment."

"Maybe, but we still need to find out what she's working on," Naru protested.

"You're absolutely right, Naru! And Motoko, you were right, too! If we're going to get to the bottom of this, then our best bet is for someone to go down there and try and get a look-see at whatever our little friend is cooking up, just in case it _does _turn out to be something that's gonna blow up in our faces!" Her smile broadening as she worked up to the fun part, Kitsune, popped up to her feet and added, "We just need to send the right person down there to get the job done! And as it happens...I know just the _man_ for the job!"

"Huh?" Keitaro blurted, his spine going rigid as he looked at Kitsune in horror. "Aw, now wait a minute!" he groaned, slumping forward as if a load of lead had just landed on each shoulder. "You're not saying that you want _me _to go down there, are you?"

"Why not? It's obvious that you're the perfect candidate!" Kitsune explained, warming to the subject.

"Are you kidding?" Naru snorted derisively, furrowing her brows at the foxy lady. "This klutz couldn't possibly pull something like this off!"

"But he's also the manager here, so that means that he's entitled to go anywhere here in the Inn, and that includes Kaolla's lab!" Kitsune explained, making sure that her argument made perfect sense. "So even if she spots him down there, he can just tell her that he wants to make sure that whatever she's working on isn't gonna cause any ruckus, and she won't be able say anything about it."

"And since when has that stopped her?" Keitaro moaned wearily. "Besides, have you forgotten what happened the _last _time someone tried sneaking down there without Kaolla's permission?"

_And there's _another _day that shall live in infamy,_ Kitsune thought ruefully, not even wanting to think about that particular disaster. But even as the others grimaced with concern, she smiled and explained, "And that's why you're the _perfect_ man for the job! Even if you trip her security or one of her little toys goes haywire, what's the worst that can happen?"

"You mean aside from me getting used as target practice?" Keitaro protested with a heavy groan.

"Exactly! And you're indestructible!" Kitsune announced, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder. "You get punched into the next district, Motoko hits you with her Air-Splitting Sword, someone runs you over with a car or drops a bomb on you, it don't matter! You're back up on your feet and ready to go in just a few seconds!" Giving this a moment to sink in, she leaned in even closer and added, "So even if you bump into a couple of Su's robots, it'll be fine! You just take the lickin' and keep on tickin'!"

Paling with every physical torment that Kitsune mentioned, Keitaro groaned and replied, "Yeah, but there's just one thing you're forgetting."

"Oh?" Kitsune asked, feigning ignorance. "And what's that?"

"That being indestructible...hurts," Keitaro concluded lamely, tears again streaming down his face.

"Oh, knock it off!" Naru spoke up, standing with her fist raised. "I think Kitsune's got the right idea!" Then she glowered at him before adding, "Besides, if somebody's gonna get blown up on this, than better you than any of us!"

"What?" Shinobu gaped, her little face sagging with worry as she brought her hand to her mouth. "But..."

"Hmm...you have a point in that, Kitsune," Motoko grudgingly admitted. "But didn't we agree that this mission calls for stealth? There's nothing stealthy about him."

"Wait...hold on..." Shinobu tried to break in.

"That may be, Motoko, but how are we supposed to learn anything if the one we send down there gets all blown up before she even got where she was going?" Kitsune asked, again invoking the voice of reason. "Besides, if something like that were to happen, then maybe we could use it to sweet-talk Kaolla in telling us what we want to know! After all, if one 'accident' like that can happen, who knows what'll go wrong when she springs her little surprise on us?"

"What?" Shinobu sputtered out, her eyes going wide with shock. "You'd actually use him to...?"

"Hey, great thinking!" Naru grinned with mounting enthusiasm. "Maybe once she gets a little reminder about how much trouble her inventions are, she'll actually tell us what she's up to!"

"No, wait...we can't do that...!" Shinobu tried again, her tiny voice not even making a dent in the conscious minds of those present.

"Exactly!" Kitsune beamed, glad that they were getting on the train with her. "We find out what Kaolla's working on, all without any risk!"

"Please, there's got to be...!" Shinobu tried again, but to no avail.

"Without any risk?" Keitaro protested incredulously. "How the heck does me wandering into a secret laboratory with a bunch of killer robots and weapons of mass destruction qualify as being without any risk?"

"I...I mean..." Shinobu once again started, only to fall flat again.

"Well, it's like I said. _Somebody's _got to go down there, so it best be the one who can take the heat!" Kitsune explained with considerable amusement."And that just happens to be _you!"_

"I...I'll go..." Shinobu murmured, her words so soft that Kitsune's ears barely picked up on them.

"That's true. You have survived attacks that would be lethal to any other mortal being," Motoko concurred. "Given all this, you're the most logical choice."

"But...I just said that I'll...!" Shinobu tried again with slowly mounting urgency.

"You call dangling me in front of Kaolla's robots _logical?"_ Keitaro protested wanly, realizing that it wasn't going to do him an ounce of good.

"I said I'll go...!" Shinobu once again tried.

"Oh, come off it, Keitaro! We have to find out what Kaolla's building, and the sooner the better!" Naru growled menacingly, placing her hands to her hips as she glared down at him. "Now suck it up already and try doing something useful for once!"

"No, wait! I -!" Shinobu tried again with even greater intensity.

"But...hold on here!" Keitaro sputtered out with clear alarm.

"Would you cut it out with the pathetic excuses?" Naru snarled grabbing Keitaro by the scruff of his shirt and hefting him up off his feet. "Look, you're going down there, like it or not, and that's _final!"_

As Keitaro hung there, floundering in Naru's grasp like a fish out of water, Kitsune just continued to lay there and smile. _Sorry, Keitaro, but it's like I said. Being the only immortal we've got around here, you're the only choice!_ Then the foxy lady smirked that much more deviously before adding, _Besides, you running around getting shot up with missiles, lasers, and whatever else Kaolla has to throw at you? That's about the _only _thing that could be funnier than you getting knocked into orbit!_

As Kitsune was losing herself in that utterly hilarious image, a loud, piercing voice decimated it and very nearly did the same to her eardrums. _"I said I'll do it!"_ Shinobu cried out, causing everyone's jaws plunging to the floor as they turned and looked at her. The shy little chef was standing there, her hands balled up into fists and her eyes screwed shut, heaving breath after heavy breath as she recovered from this explosive outcry. "I'll do it...!"

"What do you mean?" Motoko wondered, only for her eyes to light up with comprehension. "Wait...Shinobu, you're not saying...?"

"Yes,. Yes, I am!" Shinobu replied, forcing her eyes open as she looked from one face to the next. "I...I volunteer. I'll go down to her lab."

A startled squeak popping out of his mouth, Keitaro pulled free of Naru's now-limp hands. "Now, hold on, Shinobu!" he quickly protested. "You can't go down there, not when Su isn't expecting you!"

"That's right, sugah!" Kitsune quickly protested, the image in her mind shifting about. As funny as Keitaro getting blasted was, it became decidedly less funny when he was replaced by a frail little girl who most certainly was _not _indestructible. "You set off her defenses, and you'll be lucky to get out of there in one piece!"

""I know! But...I have an idea!" Shinobu quickly explained. "What if I were to...call Kaolla? Let her know I'm coming down! Then she'll turn off her security and whatever's running around down there, and -!"

"And if she doesn't want you to find out what she's working on, you won't even get close to this secret project of hers," Naru quickly protested. "Sorry, Shinobu, but that just won't work."

"It will if I can distract her!" Shinobu immediately countered. "What if I whipped up some snacks for her and brought them down? Then she'll be too busy eating to pay any attention to me!"

Her eyes popping wide open at this, Kitsune could only lie there as the others considered that. "I see. That could work," Motoko murmured with a thoughtful expression. "Not only does it safely get you past her security and experiments, but it will also provide you with a window of opportunity to survey the area, find out what she's working on." But then the swordswoman frowned somewhat. "However, given Kaolla's appetite, you likely won't have much time before she finishes whatever you bring her. And you'd have to be careful not to do anything to attract her attention before she's done."

"I know all that! But it's a lot better than just...shoving sempai down there!" Shinobu protested, giving the klutzy manager a heartfelt look of sympathy.

"But...wait, Shinobu!" Keitaro immediately protested. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea!"

"But _I _am!" Shinobu immediately countered, again leaving a couple jaws hanging. "We all agree that we should find out what she's working on, right?" Looking at Naru, the young girl then turned to Motoko. "That we have to be careful and subtle about it so we can get past her security?" Then she swung her eyes to Kitsune. "And that we can't do anything that would hurt her, all at the same time?" Before any of them could protest, Shinobu turned back to Keitaro and concluded, "Well, this is how we can do all that! It's the _only_ way we can!"

"Now, hold on...!" Naru started to protest, but was promptly cut off when a firm hand was placed on her shoulder. "Motoko!"

"She's right, Naru," Motoko replied, still using that same level voice of reason. "Shinobu's plan makes sense. Not only will it allow her to get into Kaolla's lab safely, but even if she's spotted looking around, she can just say that she was simply curious about what's going on down there. And given that she wasn't present when she picked up this latest delivery, she can also say that she didn't know that her project was supposed to be a secret. That way, if turns out that this project of Kaolla's _isn't_ dangerous, we don't run the risk of alienating her in the process."

Naru opened her mouth to say something to this, but ultimately, no words came out. Not that Kitsune could blame her, because what Motoko said made a great deal of sense. Shinobu's plan satisfied all the criteria required, and did so with minimal risk. _And minimal fun,_ she added inwardly, disappointed that her little plan to have some amusement at Keitaro's expense had been so readily thwarted. _But...oh, well. Ah guess we got more important things to worry about right now._ Then she smiled and added, _Besides, it's not like this'll be the last time I have a chance to have some sport with him!_

Already considering the many ways that she could amuse herself, Kitsune sat back and watched as Keitaro cast a worried look at their young chef. "Are you sure you want to do this, Shinobu?"

"I'm sure!" Shinobu confirmed without hesitation. A moment passed as she looked at Keitaro, her cheeks coloring somewhat before she lowered her gaze. "Anyway, I...I better get started on those snacks. So, uh..."

"Uh...right. You, uh...better get going," Keitaro nodded thoughtfully. The worry in his voice as plain as day as Shinobu gave a quick bow before turning and starting towards the kitchen.

"Just be sure you throw in plenty of bananas, y'hear?" Kitsune called out before Shinobu had disappeared. "Those are _sure_ to get you in the door!"

"Okay!" Shinobu replied, glancing over her shoulder at them just before disappearing from sight.

As Kitsune watched her disappear, hoping that things went well, a startled cry was heard from their manager. Looking about, the foxy lady saw that Naru was currently holding him up by his neck, a snarl curling her lips. "She better not get hurt, Keitaro!" she declared, giving him a vigorous shake. "Because if she does, I'll make sure that you pay for it!"

A strangled groan somehow got free of his lips as Kitsune sat back and enjoyed the show. _Well, at least I'm getting a bit of entertainment here..._

* * *

><p>"All finished!" Shinobu announced mostly to herself, feeling a definite sense of satisfaction as she studied the tasty treats that she had quickly cobbled together for Kaolla's enjoyment. On the try before her was an assortment of items that she had carefully selected for maximum irresistibility for the Molmol princess, cakes and buns and tea, and most importantly of all, two bunches of bananas.<p>

"Wow, that sure looks good!" Keitaro noted approvingly. "I don't see how Kaolla could _ever _pass up on anything like that!"

"Agreed. Not that she's known for passing up food as it is," Motoko remarked with rare show of humor. "Still, this should keep her amply distracted."

"I'll say!" Kitsune remarked. "You've outdone yourself, Shinobu!"

Glancing back at the people crowding the kitchen, Shinobu smiled and said, "Thanks! I did my best!" That said, she returned her attention to the job at hand. Knowing full well that her best was what she would have to keep doing. Especially since she had finally been given the chance that she had been hoping for since she had first come to the Hinata Inn. The chance to spare Keitaro at least a bit of the torment that he was subjected to so routinely.

_If I don't find out something about what Kaolla's working on, they'll probably make sempai go down there and sneak around her lab!_ Shinobu knew as she carefully picked up the tray by its handles. _And that means that I have to do this! I have to get this right! _With this, the young chef gulped slightly, her eyes furrowed with determination as she carefully turned about, the heavily laden tray a significant burden, but not insurmountable. Not when compared to the burden of guilt she carried for being so helpless to end Keitaro's endless abuse. To give him even the slightest respite from it.

With these thoughts stewing in her mind, Shinobu looked down at the tray whose weight was already causing her arms to protest somewhat. Something that did not go unnoticed by Keitaro, who gave her a concerned look and asked, "Do you need any help with that?"

"Huh?" Shinobu started, the tray's contents wobbling slightly before she recovered. "Uh, no, no! I'm fine, sempai! Really!" As he continued to look at her, his concern unabated, she paused just long enough to take a deep, steadying breath before starting forward. Exercising extreme caution that she didn't bump into anything or step on somebody's foot, she headed towards the door, everybody carefully stepping out of her way to give her plenty of room. Upon exiting the kitchen, Shinobu started towards the elevator that led to Shinobu's lab, fully aware that Keitaro and the others were a short distance behind her, stepping quietly to avoid disturbing her.

Before long, Shinobu reached the elevator door, marked by both a call button and a small video screen with a control panel just beneath it. And of greater concern to the young girl, the twin lights that were situated just about the screen, with one being green, the other red. "Uh, can...somebody ring up Kaolla for me?" she asked, looking up at the panel that she lacked a free hand to operate on her own. As well as the lit red light that made it clear that one entered Kaolla's lab at their own peril. "I, uh...kinda got my hands full."

"Uh, sure!" Keitaro started, stepping forward. "I'll just - huh?"

"Get it out of the way. I'll do this," Naru grumbled irritably as she shoved past him, somehow saying that he would make a mess of things without actually saying so. As Keitaro fell back wordlessly, the volatile young woman pressed the button that would alert Kaolla that someone wanted a moment of her time. "Now, hide!"

"Wha -?" Keitaro fumbled out, all he had a chance to say before Naru took him by the shoulders, spun him about on his heels, and started marching him away.

"We don't want Kaolla seeing us!" Naru said by way of explanation as she shoved him out of the room. "She might suspect something!"

"Right, good point!" Kitsune agreed, hurriedly scampering out of range, with Motoko wordlessly following.

Glancing after the fleeing females, Shinobu was brought back to the present when loud beep startled her. Letting out a squawk of surprise, the blue-haired girl very nearly fumbled the tray in her hands before recovering and looking up at the video screen before her. "Why, hello, Shinobu!" came an exuberant voice, which was matched by the grinning face of Kaolla Su on the screen. "What is it? Is it dinner time already?"

"Uh, no. Not yet," Shinobu replied, wincing as the reminder that she would have to get started on dinner soon. "But...the thing is, I noticed that you've been spending a lot of time in your lab lately. So I decided to make a little snack for you."

"Yays!" Kaolla enthused, looking as if she were trying to force her face through the video screen as she looked at the trayfull of goodies Shinobu prepared. "Thank you so much, Shinobu!" The Molmol girl quickly withdrew from the screen and looked down before her. "I'm deactivating the security system!" she announced to the tune of several buttons being pushed. "So go ahead and come right down!"

"Uh, thank you," Shinobu nervously answered, looking at the lights above. As Kaolla's face disappeared from the screen, the red light faded as the green one lit up just before the elevator door slid open. Letting out a low sigh of relief now that her path had been cleared, the young cook glanced over towards where Keitaro and the others had gone. He and the three young women had their heads poked out from around a corner in a stack, all of them wearing smiles of success while Kitsune gave her a thumbs-up.

Glad to know that the others were behind her, despite everything, Shinobu took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come, before finally entering the elevator. Once she did so, the doors slid shut behind her, and the elevator began its smooth descent.

The ride down only took a few seconds, and when the elevator stopped and the doors opened again, Shinobu gasped, very nearly dropping the tray as she looked out of it. This was her first time going down to Kaolla's lab, and in all honesty, she hadn't been entirely certain as to what she should expect. She knew that a couple of the others had gone down there before and had their share of horror stories about what it was like, but the blue-haired girl had always assumed that, while not fabrications, they had been at least somewhat exaggerated.

_So much for that idea!_ Shinobu thought as she carefully stepped out into the lab, barely able to believe that she was technically still inside of the Hinata Inn. Everywhere she looked there were robots of different shapes and sizes. Some were Mecha-Tama of varying sizes, others looked more like one would expect a 'traditional' robot to look, with simple arms and tank treads of whatever, and there were still others that of varying shapes and sizes that no two were alike. At the moment, the majority of them were sitting still, some of them still holding whatever object they had been moving about when Kaolla had halted them, while others were vacating Shinobu's immediate vicinity.

Once all movement had ceased, Shinobu took a deep breath before starting forward, slowly examining the large underground space Kaolla had converted into her personal laboratory. It was well lit and was surprisingly neat and tidy, with several shelving units and storage bins in evidence. Which made it very easy for her to see the many missiles, explosives, and half-finished projects that were there.

A slight chill running down her back as she took in this awesome arsenal, Shinobu was brought to the present by the sound of bare feet racing about on the metal floor. "Why, hello, Shinobu!" Kaolla cried out, racing up to her at full speed. The blue-haired girl was certain she was about to be the victim of a major collision when the Molmol princess dug in her heels and came to a screeching halt mere inches away the tray in Shinobu's hands. Very nearly falling over with shock, then relief that disaster had been averted, the young cook watched as Kaolla bent down and began examining the items she had prepared for her. "Ooh, this looks really delicious! Thanks!"

"Uh...you're welcome..." Shinobu answered hesitantly. Her hesitation magnifying when Kaolla grabbed hold of the tray, almost yanking it out of her hands. "Hey! Wh-what are you doing?"

Shooting Shinobu a look of genuine confusion, Kaolla hesitated before answering, "I'm trying to take the tray, silly!"

Nearly losing her balance when Kaolla made another attempt, Shinobu quickly withdrew the tray from her hands. "Oh, you don't have to do that!" she protested, making certain that nothing fell off or toppled over. "I mean...it's kinda heavy, and..."

"That's okays! I can carry it!" Kaolla smiled eagerly, again attempting to snatch the tray from Shinobu's hands.

"But..." Shinobu started, trying to figure a way out of her quandary. It was obvious that Kaolla was still trying to keep whatever she was working on under wraps. And unless she could persuade the excitable blonde, then she would be forced to go back up to the Inn proper without learning anything about this so secret project. At which point, they would go ahead and make Keitaro a target for Kaolla's security system.

Wincing at the thought of Keitaro being blasted, pummeled, and virtually incinerated by a barrage of lasers, missiles, and who knew what else Kaolla had in store for those foolish enough to trespass upon her domain without her permission, Shinobu hurriedly wracked her brain, trying to think of something, _anything _that would get her foot in the door and keep it there. "Besides, uh -!" she started, numerous possibilities running through her mind before one of them exploded out of her mouth. "I've never...had the chance to see your lab before! And...well, I was just curious, and...!"

As her voice trailed off, Shinobu realized exactly what she was saying, and immediately began cursing herself for her own stupidity. She already knew that Kaolla wanted to keep people out, to keep this project secret. Why would the Molmol girl ever allow anyone inside, simply because they said they wanted to see her lab?

But even as she was thinking this and giving serious consideration to take the tray in her hands and using it to beat some sense into her worthless head, Shinobu realized that Kaolla was standing there, looking perplexedly at her. "Really?"

Blinking a few times as she realized that Kaolla wasn't rejecting this notion, and in fact was just standing there, looking completely dumbstruck, Shinobu gulped loudly and realized that maybe she hadn't made such a catastrophic error after all. "Uh, yes! Really!" the blue-haired girl announced with a nervous smile. Pausing to glance about at their surroundings, she added, "I mean, you have all these fascinating inventions and everything, and...I was just..."

Again, Shinobu trailed off, unable to think of anything to say. So instead she shrugged helplessly, and simply stood there, looking at the excitable girl standing before her. Several seconds passed as the two of them just looked at each other, with Kaolla making a thoughtful noise in her throat before cocking her head to the side. Raising her eyes upwards in consideration, she placed her hand to her chin in a cute pose of contemplation. Even more passed as Shinobu wondered what was going through the Molmol princess's head before she finally grinned enthusiastically and replied, "Okays! Then let me show you around!"

"Uh, really?" Shinobu gasped in delight, barely able to believe her good fortune.

"Of course!" Kaolla quickly nodded. Then her expression sobered as she held up one hand with her finger outstretched. "But be sure to follow me, okays? Don't go anywhere I don't go, and don't touch anything!" Then she grinned once more, and cupped her hand to her mouth before whispering in a conspiratorial fashion, "I'm working on a big project, and I want to be a surprise!"

"Oh! A big project!" Shinobu repeated blankly, without any idea of what else she could say. "That...sounds pretty interesting!"

"Yes, it really is!" Kaolla declared, rubbing her hands together with tremendous enthusiasm, a look of crazed delight befitting the stereotypical mad scientist appearing on her face. Then she returned to her normally goofy self before gesturing for Shinobu to follow. "Now, follow me, okays?"

"Uh, okay!" Shinobu replied as Kaolla turned and started forward, moving just a bit faster than a walk.

While Shinobu started after the Molmol girl, careful to move quickly enough to keep up with her without risk of dropping the tray, she listened as Kaolla commented, "You know, this really is surprising! I never realized that you were interested in science!"

"Well..." Shinobu replied hesitantly, wanting to make sure that she didn't say something that would bring her expedition to an abrupt end. "You know I hope to make it to Tokyo-U someday. And you have to know about science if you're going to make it there!"

"Ah, I see!" Kaolla grinned, folding her arms behind her head as she glanced back at Shinobu. "Still, this is a big surprise for me! I don't get many visitors down here!"

_Yeah, I know!_ Shinobu thought, nervously glancing about the arsenal of missiles and other devices that seemed to line every wall. The thought that she was basically living, working, and sleeping on top of an arsenal of doom not doing wonders for her peace of mind. Knowing better than to actually say this, she instead commented, "Maybe the others are just nervous." When Kaolla gave her a puzzled look, she shrugged and added, "You remember what happened when Kimiaki and Masayuki tried sneaking down here that one time, right?"

"Oh, yeah! Now that was fun!" Kaolla commented, grinning eagerly as she thought back to that notorious disaster. "They looked so funny when all those missiles started firing at them!"

Frowning at this reminder that Kaolla's sense of 'fun' was more than a little skewed, Shinobu tried a different tact. "You know, if you wanted to keep people like them out, why don't you just put some kind of lock on your elevator?" she asked in a reasonable fashion. "Then you wouldn't have to worry about people sneaking in, or..."

"Because I _want _them to sneak in!" Kaolla announced with a hint of excitement. Starting at this, Shinobu stopped in mid-step as the tanned girl explained, "Motoko almost always stops people like that from even getting inside the Inn! About the only time I get to have fun with them is when they try to hide in here!"

"So..." Shinobu started, shocked and unsurprised all at once. "You want people sneaking around down here...so you can try to blow them up?"

Grinning excitedly, Kaolla answered, "That's right!" Then her grin faded somewhat as she commented, "Of course, it'd be a lot more fun if Keitaro would come down here to surprise me!" The grin reappeared, and was accompanied by an amused chuckle. "He's so funny when he gets hit and goes flying! The way he waves his arms and legs and screams like that...!"

As Kaolla's sentence turned into a prolonged chuckle, a drop of sweat rolled down the side of Shinobu's head. _How can you call that funny?_ she asked to the tune of a weary sigh. _Why does everybody like hurting sempai so much? It's not fair!_

More glad than ever that she had been able to persuade the others to go along with her plan, Shinobu followed Kaolla up to a large door that slid open upon their approach. "Well, here we ares! My personal control room!" the Molmol girl happily announced as she looked about the room. As Shinobu followed, her mouth popped open as she tried to take in what she was seeing.

It was as if she had stepped off the Earth and onto the bridge of a ship from one the 'Star Trek' shows or movies. The room was circular and ringed with computer displays and monitors, all showing different images and readouts and other things Shinobu couldn't even comprehend. There were several windows, each of them seeming to be looking out into a different section of the small underground complex. And instead of the famed center seat, there was a table of some kind, a high-tech one befitting the setting, rimmed with computer controls. And just above it was what had to be a holographic display, one which immediately got the blue-haired girl's attention.

"Uh, Kaolla? What's that?" Shinobu asked as she took in the image hovering before them. It appeared to be a circular platform of some kind, with six pylons surrounding it, equally spaced from each other and curving inwards like the framework of a dome. Further out from it where what looked like other machines of different sorts, and on the platform itself...was a simplistic human shape.

"What's wh-?" Kaolla started, only to gasp when she realized what Shinobu was looking at. _"Oopsies! _You weren't supposed to see that!"

"Huh?" Shinobu started, but before she could say anything else, the Molmol girl rushed up to the table. Hurriedly pressing a series of buttons, Kaolla banished the holographic image before glancing back at the young cook. "What's wrong, Kaolla? Did I...?"

"No, no! It's not your fault!" Kaolla assured her with wave of her hands and a quick shake of her hand. "Sorry. I forgot I had all that stuff up, and..." Pausing to glance this way and that, the Molmol girl then made her up to Shinobu and took hold of the tray. "I'm sorry, Shinobu, but...I really can't show you around right now."

Wincing as she realized that she was on the verge of being given the boot, Shinobu did her best to look as sorry and apologetic as she could. "Why? Did I...do something wrong?"

"No no no! It's not that! Really!" Kaolla quickly assured her. "But...you see...well, I _really _need to keep this secret for now, okays?" That said, the tanned girl took the tray from Shinobu, who was too startled by this sudden turnaround to do anything to stop her. Leaving the blue-haired girl to just stand there and watched as the tanned girl carried the tray over to one of the control panels lining the room before moving to fetch the lone wheeled chair present. "I'm really sorry, Shinobu, but...you understand, okays?"

For a brief time, Shinobu considered what she could say or do, only to realize that her efforts had fallen flat. The instant Kaolla had been reminded of her project, even food was unable to distract her from keeping it a secret. And with the Molmol princess's attention now squarely on her suddenly unwanted guest, the blue-haired girl was able to do nothing but hang her head and slowly nod. "I...I guess so."

Seeing the distraught look on Shinobu's face, Kaolla grinned broadly. "Don't worry! Once it's done, I'll be able to show you a proper tour down here!" Bringing her hand up to her cheek in a thoughtful gesture, she mumbled beneath her breath before announcing with a happy smile, "And that should only take another week or so!"

Starting at this, Shinobu gave Kaolla a look of worried surprise. "A-another week?"

"That's right!" Kaolla announced with obvious pride and excitement. "The last two components should come within a week, and then..." Her smile almost splitting her face in half, the Molmol rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "Oh, I can't wait to see all your faces when you see it! Hee hee hee!"

"Sounds...exciting," Shinobu anemically answered, her insides tying themselves up in knots.

"It sure will be!" Kaolla enthused, completely oblivious to the blue-haired girl's lack of enthusiasm. "Anyway, Shinobu, I promise that I'll give you a full tour some time. But for now, I really need to get busy! I've got a lot of work to do if I'm going to have this ready for all of you!"

"I...understand," Shinobu sighed, visibly deflating. With a half-hearted shrug, she looked at Kaolla, who was still standing there, her eyes focused on the blue-haired girl. Not in the slightest bit distracted, and leaving her with no openings. "Anyway, I...be sure to bring the tray back up when you're done, okay?"

"Okays!" Kaolla replied happily. "I'll see you at dinner time! And be sure to call me when you get out of the elevator so I can turn the security system back on!"

"Right. Of course," Shinobu weakly answered, slowly turning to leave. As she made her way to the door, she looked over her shoulder, watching as Kaolla watched her. Not leaving her the slightest bit of an opening as she finally exited the control room, the door sliding shut the instant she was clear.

Coming to a halt, Shinobu simply stood there, studying the door, and letting out a sigh of pure defeat as she lowered her eyes and shook her head. _This...I don't believe this. I really thought this would work,_ she thought sadly, recalling all the many times when Kaolla would be easily lured from whatever she was doing by even a simple banana. _But...I barely even got a glimpse at what she was working on! And I still don't really know what it is!_

As Shinobu stood there, she once again looked at the control room, trying to find some silver lining to her situation. For while she didn't know what exactly Kaolla was working on, she knew that it didn't look like another giant Mecha-Tama or a bomb or anything else dangerous. But at the same time, the dark cloud of this situation was that she didn't learn much about what it was, and almost certainly not enough to satisfy Naru and the others. _And if it isn't enough, they'll send sempai down here for sure!_ Shinobu thought, quailing at the thought and recalling Kaolla's own words. _And she'd love that! The instant he came down here, her security system would go off and she just start blasting him and laughing and -!_

Before this dread train of thought could reach its inexorable conclusion, it was blown away by the appearance of a light bulb of inspiration that quickly dissipated Shinobu's clouds of gloom. _Wait..Kaolla said to call her when I get out so she can turn the security system back on...meaning that right now, it's _still_ off!_ the blue-haired girl realized, her eyes popping open with astonishment. _And if Kaolla's already back to work or eating or something...then she won't be paying any attention to me! And _that _means -!_

Again, Shinobu's thought was interrupted, this time by various concerns and worries. Even if the security system wasn't armed, there was always the chance that Kaolla could still spot her on via a security camera or something on that order. And even if that didn't happen, there was a good chance that she would reactivate the various machines working throughout her lab. And if Shinobu wound up cornered by them...

Images of the resulting disaster clouding her mind, Shinobu clenched her hands and, with a tremendous show of effort on her part, shoved them aside. _I still have a chance! _she told herself, struggling to force away her fears and concerns. _And the more I learn...the better the chance that Naru and the others won't make sempai come down and get hurt!_

And that, more than anything else, was what Shinobu wanted then and there. If she couldn't save Keitaro from being tormented all the time, then she could at least prevent it from happening _this _time. And so, with this thought in mind, she cautiously started away from Kaolla's control room, looking this way and that as she looked about the rest of the lab. Searching for anything that might give her a better idea as to what the overly exuberant girl was working on...

* * *

><p>"Yummy!" Kaolla declared as she eagerly munched on one of the delicacies Shinobu had thoughtfully prepared for her. As she guided one hand towards the control panel she was using, she used the free one to fork up another item on the tray. "I almost didn't realize how hungry I was getting!"<p>

Smiling as she put even more gastronomic bliss in her mouth, Kaolla felt a slight pang over having to chase Shinobu away. _I almost never have visitors down here, and she was so eager to look and see everything in my lab,_ the Molmol princess thought a bit sadly. _I'll have to do something extra special to make it up to her later on!_

As Kaolla worked the controls, preparing the numerous robots in her lab to return to their duties, she paused to consider how exactly she would go about making amends to Shinobu. _I can't cook anything she would like. Certainly not better than she could cook for herself,_ she thought, grateful for the day the young cook had accept Keitaro's offer of a job at the Hinata Inn. _Maybe I can build her a robot that will help her study so she can get into Tokyo-U. _As Kaolla considered that, deciding to put that on the list of possible projects, she then smiled and thought, _I know! Once 'Anhulakalawka's Chamber' is ready, I'll make Shinobu my very first subject! I know she'll _love_ that!_

Pausing to imagine the delighted look on Shinobu's face when she realized her fortune, Kaolla chuckled before sobering up somewhat. _But before I can do that, I have to finish it first!_ she thought, pressing the final few switches. _So back to work, everybody!_

* * *

><p>As the sound of machinery humming to life rumbled through Koalla's lab, Shinobu froze in place, a chill running down her spine. <em>Oh, no...don't tell me she's reactivated the security!<em> she thought, very nearly panicking at the thought. _But...she said that she wouldn't - I mean -!_

Even as she realized that Kaolla hadn't explicitly stated that she would hold off on that little item until Shinobu was clear, the blue-haired girl's attention was drawn by the sound of something approaching. Looking about, she watched as one of the humanoid robots she had seen stilled earlier was once again in motion, carrying a set of metal tubes.

As she watched it pass by, Shinobu let out a low sigh of relief. _I see...Kaolla must've started working again,_ she realized, watching as the robot slowly moved on, continuing about whatever tasks set for it by its creator. Fortunately, it wasn't heading towards her, so she wasn't in danger of injury or alerting Kaolla. _Still, I have to be careful. Better stay away from them, unless I..._

For the third time that day, Shinobu's train of thought failed, this time changing tracks as she suffered a new idea. _Wait...if these robots are working on this secret project, then maybe if I follow one of them, I'll be able to get a look at it, or at least whatever she's putting into it!_

Already aware that there were risks inherent to what she was planning, Shinobu forced this awareness away before it could spawn any doubts to slow her and carefully started after the robot in question. Moving as quietly as was possible, just in case it or one of the other machines there was capable of hearing her and reporting her continued presence to Kaolla, she glanced about the area, searching for any possible cameras or security mechanisms before continuing forward.

Trying very hard not to pay attention to the various instruments of doom lining the walls, Shinobu carefully, cautiously followed the robot she had sighted, tracking it as it went around one bend and then another. Making sure to maintain a safe distance, as well as keeping aware of her surroundings.

Before long, she caught sight of another robot, identical in size and shape to the one she was following. This one was also carrying the same metal tubes, and seemed to be going in the same direction as the first. _I must be getting close!_ Shinobu realized, her heart skipping a beat in her excitement as she bent down, trying to make herself as small and inconspicuous as she could even as she picked up the pace. _I have to be careful, though! Kaolla's _sure _to be watching whatever they're doing!_

Watching as the two robots rounded another bend, Shinobu cautiously accelerated, sidling about against the wall, wanting to get close enough to see without being seen. Focusing on the entryway that the robots had used, she carefully crept up along the wall, her every sense primed and on the alert for anything that might betray her presence. Seconds slowly crawled by, increasing her anxiety, until at last she could peer down the into the area the robots were in. And when she spotted them once more, she sucked in a surprised breath.

The area turned out to be a good-sized alcove crammed with all kinds of different machinery. Computers and equipment hummed and chirped while a large machine at the center of it all rumbled ominously. The machine was marked with a strange face with three eyes, the third one located in the area of the forehead. _That's a Molmol symbol,_ Shinobu realized, having seen similar things amongst Shinobu's belongings. The people of her country routinely made use of various simple faces with three eyes, from the simple face she had once seen on a Molmol hunting garment to the three-eyed elephant emblazoned on their currency. The one she was looking at, however, was completely unfamiliar to her. It was round and white, and the three eyes each had red triangles above and below them. There was a long, red tongue sticking out of the mouth, and to the sides of the face were two cartoony hands held with the palms forward, its fingers spread out. _It kinda looks like a clown jumping out to scare someone._

Wondering what this symbol meant and if she even wanted to find out, Shinobu shifted her focus to the machine neighboring the marked one. The most distinguishing thing about this one was the large, transparent cylinder at the front. It was filled with some kind of pasty white substance that looked to be semi-solid, almost like wet glue. A set of tubes connected the two machines, and it looked to her like the machine with the tank was pumping the substance into the machine with the clown-face emblem on it. From there, another series of tubes emerged, leading into a third machine. And it was there that Kaolla's robots were standing, with one right behind the other.

_But why? What are they doing?_ Shinobu wondered, trying to make sense of what was going on. The machine with the cylinder was apparently pumping whatever was inside of it into the machine with the clown-face, but she couldn't tell what exactly it was doing. However, she did notice that the next tubes leading from the clown-face machine appeared to be pumping a similarly pasty substance, only this one was green, not white. _So...that machine _makes _that stuff, and the other one...turns it green?_ Frowning at this thought, Shinobu realized that there was something she was missing, but she didn't know what that might be. So without any other ideas, she continued to crouch there and watch as the first robot stood at the machine into which the now-green substance was being pumped. And as she did so, she realized that the first robot wasn't holding the metal tubes from before. Instead, they were clamped into the front of the third device, and as Shinobu watched, she noticed that along the side of both tubes there was a glass indentation that appeared to marked like a ruler. And as the machines worked, a red stopper of some kind rose up from the bottom, as if measuring how full the tube was.

_So...the machines are making that green stuff, and the robots are filling the tubes with it,_ Shinobu deduced, watching as the first robot finally removed the clamps holding the tubes in place and gathering them up in its arms. _And...I guess that whatever this stuff is, it must be important to whatever Kaolla is working on._

That still didn't tell Shinobu exactly what this project was, but it was a clue. _Besides, I shouldn't stay down here much longer. Kaolla might start wondering what's taking me so long to call her,_ she realized with a slight frown. _And maybe once we look up at that symbol, we'll have a better idea of what Kaolla's working on._

Sighing, Shinobu started creeping away. Hoping that what she had found would be enough to satisfy the others...and that she could get away without something going wrong.

* * *

><p>"That's it, everyone! Keep busy!" Kaolla grinned enthusiastically as she observed her creations at work. In one section of her lab, a couple of robots were assembling the machine that had been delivered to her that day, while in another two of her Mecha-Tamas were making critical adjustments to the pylons surrounding the platform of Anhulakalawka's Chamber. And in another, two of her creations were preparing the X-G 447 capacitance gel that was so vital to the operation of her latest masterpiece.<p>

_I know it's a bit early, but I know the others will want me to make sure that everything works right!_ Kaolla thought with a hint of sobriety. _And that means I have to make sure that the gel is stable and safe and everything!_

Chafing somewhat at this, Kaolla amused herself by downing a couple more of the delectable treats Shinobu brought her. For the most part, the only time she had anything to do with caution was when she was merrily throwing it to the wind, and good riddance to it. She much preferred actually getting started with the fun part of inventing then spend a lot of time testing and retesting and then testing some more. After all, her inventions were almost always perfect, so why bother wasting a lot of time just to prove it?

But this is one occasion that she had to be certain. There could be no missteps, because she knew that to make a mistake here could have dire consequences for her friends. _Besides, I know how nervous they can be. If I can't prove to them that Anhulakalawka's Chamber is safe, they won't want to use it!_ With that, Kaolla eyed the robots preparing the gel, with the first set of tubes of the substance ready and waiting to be tested. _So while I'm waiting for the last two components, I might as well start testing!_

Still, Kaolla wasn't a big fan of such mundane precautions. Wondering why her friends could be so faint of heart when it came to things such as giant robots and her other wonderful inventions, the Molmol girl focused on the robots filled the tubes of gel...only to frown as something caught her eye. _What the...? _she thought, leaning in closer to the screen to get a better look. A couple seconds passed as she studied the display, but she could see nothing. Nothing but her trusted robots carrying out their duties. _But...I was sure that..._

Before she could finish this thought, Kaolla's eyes widened as she saw what she had been looking for. It had been only for a moment, at the bottom of the screen, but it had been there. A slight bit of movement. Not enough for her to tell what was going on, but enough to make it clear that something was where it ought not to be. That she had an intruder.

_Could it be Shinobu?_ Kaolla briefly wondered before summarily dismissing the notion. _No way! Shinobu wouldn't go snooping around my lab! Not after I told her not to!_ Punctuating this thought with a determined nod, the tanned blonde frowned as she studied the screen. Normally, she would rejoice at the prospect of unleashing some serious mayhem on those who would intrude upon her domain. But not when mayhem put the sensitive equipment she had already waited so long for at risk. _I better see if I can get a better look at who it is._

With this in mind, Kaolla absently reached for the controls that would patch her directly into the feed from the two robots there, allowing her to see through their optical sensors. But as she reached for the proper controls, her hand bumped into something else. Looking about to see what it was, the Molmol princess gasped as the pitcher of tea Shinobu had brought down along with the rest of her snack tottered off-balance, wobbling ominously as it tilted over her control panel.

_"No!"_ Kaolla exclaimed, leaping up to catch the errant pitcher, but it was too little, too late. It tumbled off the tray and came crashing down on the control panel. It's lid popped off instant it hit, sending tea cascading out of the pitcher and into the sensitive electronic equipment. Even as she reached for the pitcher, sparks shot up from the cracks in her machinery, followed by tufts of smoke.

"Oopsies!" Kaolla cried out, hurriedly backing away from the control panel. Her eyes wide as the sparks spread, and the monitors broke down into screens filled with static. Then she was jolted out of her chair when several red warning lights started flashing, seconded by a loud alarm. "_Big_ oopsies!"

* * *

><p>The instant she heard the alarms and saw the red lights reflected in the metal walls, Shinobu very nearly passed out. Her heartbeat tripled in less than a second as she looked wildly about, certain that she had screwed up. Bringing her clenched hands to her face, she trembled, waiting to hear Kaolla's voice calling her out on her snooping, or worse.<p>

Several seconds passed in dread anticipation before a crashing sound caught her attention. Looking about, Shinobu gasped when she saw the two robots she had shadowed smashing themselves against the walls of the alcove, only to back up, turn somewhat, and repeat the action.

"Uh-oh...!" Shinobu groaned, suffering the bad feeling that she was in for 'or worse'. Something that was quickly driven home when a loud whirring sound was heard and quickly repeated. Turning towards the source, she jumped back, paling at the sight of multiple openings appearing in the ceiling, from which appeared three machine guns and two missile launchers. "Kaolla, _what are you doing?"_

The answer to this question was one of the missiles being fired. Her eyes bulging as she saw her death flying towards her, Shinobu immediately fell to the ground, covering her face and waited for her inevitable doom. Her ears filled with the roar of the missile, she was then deafened by a thunderous explosion, the resulting shockwave sending her tumbling across the floor.

Utterly panicked, Shinobu's instinct for self-preservation kicked in, prompting her to open her eyes. Hearing the crackling of fire, she looked down the hall and saw where the missile impacted, leaving a large, burning crater in the floor. Her ears pricking at the sound of metal debris raining down, she raised her arm above her head as she quickly looked up at the ceiling, knowing that the next attack would likely come from there, only for a surprised gasp to escape her lips.

The machine guns were moving randomly, aiming at blank walls and empty halls alike. As she watched, one of the released a burst of gunfire at one of the emergency lights, sending glass spraying down on Shinobu. Crying out in dismay as she shielded her head, the blue-haired girl looked about and saw that the robots, each of them still holding the tubes of green gunk, were rolling this way and that, completely heedless of the fact that another missile was being fired past them.

_Oh, no...!_ Shinobu thought, paling as she realized that something had to have gone terribly, horribly wrong. Even Kaolla's manic playfulness wouldn't result in the kind of madness she was seeing. _Her robots, the security system...it's all out of control!_

Even as she realized this, Shinobu watched as the two robots continued to turn in fits and spurts. Only to stop when the lenses that were their eyes locked onto her...and as one, they started towards her.

Blanching in terror, Shinobu did the only thing she could think of. Leaping to her feet, she took a few steps backwards before turning and breaking into a flat-out run.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no no no no <em>noes!"<em> Kaolla cried out as she yanked her fingers away from the badly sparking controls. The young genius completely at a loss as to what she should do.

What had started as a malfunction in the tea-soaked circuitry was spreading like wildfire throughout the rest of her lab's system. The circuits were misfiring, sending conflicting information throughout the system. As a result, all the robots and machines she had been operating from her control room were in a frenzy, acting on the erroneous data to the best of their ability, unable to tell that Kaolla wasn't the one who was actually giving them their marching orders.

Looking about at what few monitors were still functioning, watching as electronic garbage scrolled down them, Kaolla brought her hands to her head and cried out, "It's no good! I'll have to shut everything down before it gets any worse!"

With this thought in mind, Kaolla made her way over to another control panel. This one was setup specifically to regulate the functions of the many different systems within the sprawling lab complex, and was her only chance to bring this disaster under control. Working as quickly as she could, she brought up the system schematics of the lab, looking for the best way to safely bring them down. _I just Shinobu got out of here okays!_ the Molmol girl thought, wincing at the thought of the young chef at the mercy of her various devices. _She's not invincible like Keitaro!_

* * *

><p><em>"Aaaaaaaahh!"<em> Shinobu screamed, running as fast as her legs would carry as she frantically waved her arms about. All around her, more and more of Kaolla's robots and machines were stirring to life, and going completely berserk in the process. A machine gun strafed the floor nearby before turning to blow up a small robot that happened to dive at the wrong time. Several Mecha-Tama soared past, deploying mechanical tentacles that snapped at empty air. And through it all, the two robots she had been following gave chase, still holding the metal tubes.

_"Leave me alone!"_ Shinobu screamed even as she ducked into an adjacent hallway, hoping in her panic that this might dissuade her pursuers. This hope was soon thwarted as both robots turned and continued after her, forcing the frightened girl to keep running for her life.

Running as fast as she could, Shinobu turned down one hallway, then the next, desperately seeking anything that looked like either the elevator leading back up to the Inn or some other way out. But all she could see were more robots and instruments of destruction firing mindlessly on anything that happened to be nearby. On one level, she figured it must have looked like a western cartoon, with the frightened youth being chased by the horrible monster, with both entering and exiting random doors with who knew what else coming out and interfering as well.

Her lungs burning and heart racing, Shinobu turned down yet another hallway, desperate to elude her pursuers. Only to cry out in pure terror as her bulging eyes saw one of the chasing robots in front of her, tubes in hand and rolling up towards her. Deeping in her heels and windmilling her arms, she desperately spun about, trying to reverse her momentum only to fall down to the floor in shock when the second robot appeared at the other end of the hall.

Stunned by the impact, Shinobu groaned in pain as she forced herself back up on her hands and knees. Looking up at the robot came at her from the front, she gasped and looked over her shoulder, and felt her heart plunge into her toes when she saw the second robot coming up behind her. Both machines took up much of the available space in the hallway, so there wasn't enough room for her to try and squeeze out from between them and the walls. And even if there were, the blue-haired girl was too frozen with terror to even try.

Tears of pure terror rolling down her cheeks, Shinobu looked up helplessly at the relentless monsters closed in, both of them less than a few inches away. "Sempai...somebody...?" she whimpered, despite knowing that there was no one within range of her voice. No one to save her as both robots raised the tubes they held up above her, then brought them down in a blur.

Screaming in fright, Shinobu fell to her side and curled up in a ball, her eyes closed as she waited for the end. A deafening clang shook her from her head to her toes, prompting a tiny whimper from her as she anticipated the sound of bones crunching.

This was a sound she never heard. Instead, she heard another brutal clang, followed shortly by another. And then another, and another.

Quaking badly, Shinobu's confusion slowly overrode her terror, prompting her to force an eye open a crack and look up. When she did so, her other eye opened as her mouth fell in disbelief. The two robots that had chased her were striking at each other, whacking away with the tubes they carried.

Heaving breath after desperate breath as she watched dents appear in both robots and tubes, Shinobu simply lay there and watched as the wrathful robots did their utmost to dismantle each other. With each swing they took, the tubes they wielded bent that much more. Until at last one of them virtually ripped in two, and from it sprayed forth a torrent of the nasty green substance she had seen before. Crying out once again, the blue-haired girl curled up again as the goopy green substance rained down on her, covering her from head to toe.

* * *

><p>Wincing as a series of yellow lights began flashing, Kaolla let out a screech of pure frustration. "Aaaugh! What's happening <em>now?"<em>

As if in response to Kaolla's question, the monitor before her shifted from the schematics she had been looking to a sensory analysis screen. As the young genius studied the bars and spikes on the screen, she practically fell over. "Gamma radiation has been detected in Sector Four?" she cried out in dismay. Her keen intellect needing only a few seconds to figure out what had happened. "Oh, noes! One of the capacitance tubes must've broken!"

Without another thought, Kaolla flipped up a piece of transparent plastic on the console, and hit the button beneath it. "Initiating emergency shutdown of all active robots!" she cried out as the button sent out a priority override signal to all her standard labor robots, including the two that had apparently damaged the capacitance tubes. "Activating Mecha-Tama 'Mr. Squeaky-Cleans'!"

* * *

><p>Strained whimpers escaping her clenched teeth, Shinobu continued to lie on the floor, curled up in a tiny ball as the robots continued to attack each other. Too scared to do so much as move, she lay in the pool of gooey green slime that had been spilled on her. Slime that increased when another tube snapped open, disgorging its contents on the terrified girl.<p>

Screaming in terror and disgust that foul substance she was drenched in, that was creeping into her ears, nose, and mouth, Shinobu could do nothing but curl up even tighter. Listening to the constant clanging and smashing, waiting for the remaining tubes to shatter and cover her in more of the sticky slime.

For a seeming eternity, Shinobu was trapped in that horrible position, waiting and wondering when the end would finally come. Only to have it happen in a way she never would have expected. For even as she shuddered and huddled and feared, she was deafened by the sound...of absolute silence.

As the sudden quiet registered with her, Shinobu sucked in a started breath, only to immediately regret it when some of the foul gunk slipped into her mouth. Wrinkling her face at the abhorrent taste, she instantly spat it out, only to gasp and look up, fully expecting to be crushed after again attracting the robots' attention. Only for her terror to fall away in confusion when she realized that neither robot was moving anymore.

For a long time, Shinobu lay crouched on the floor, looking up in dread at her attackers, waiting and wondering when and if they would renew their assault. But after almost half a minute passed and there was no sign of movement from either of them, she swallowed loudly and slowly, carefully rose up to her feet. Still shaking and alert for even the slightest movement, the blue-haired girl looked up at the robot, specifically into its optical sensor. Like the rest of it, there was no indication of movement. Nothing to indicate that it would start attacking again.

_And...that's not all!_ Shinobu realized as she carefully looked over the stilled machine. _The motors or whatever...they're off!_ Blinking at the realization that her attackers hadn't just stopped, they had been deactivated, she very nearly swooned with relief. _Kaolla...she must've gotten everything back under control!_

Falling back against the wall, Shinobu sighed and smiled, grateful to give her heartbeat a chance to slow down. On one level, she knew that she had to get moving soon. She likely wouldn't have much time before Kaolla would come to inspect the damage done to her laboratory, and the last thing she wanted just then was to be faced with a lot of questions she wouldn't want to answer. But at that moment, the gap between knowing this was a good idea and actually being able to make good on it was one that she wasn't able to bridge. Her legs were already beginning to protest her exertions, and she was chilled and cold and miserable from being covered in slime.

_And this stuff is making me feel all...itchy, too,_ Shinobu thought, brushing off some of the foul gunk. _What _is _it, anyway? And do I even want to know? _Shaking her head miserably, she glanced at the robots bracketing her. _Okay, first thing I have to do is get out of here...and then I'm going straight to the hot spring and soak for at least an hour!_

Liking the sound of this idea, Shinobu took a deep breath as she started towards one of the robots, hoping to find some way to wiggle her way past it. But even as she started towards, a mechanical sound pricked her ears, causing her to freeze in place.

"Oh, no...!" Shinobu murmured, her heart pounding once more. A quick glance at her robotic pursuers was enough to assure her that they weren't the source of the sound. But that didn't change the fact that something else, possibly something far worse was heading towards her. Without any other options, the blue-haired girl eyed the robot ahead of her and picked the side of it that seemed to have the most space available. Putting her back to the wall, she wedged her shoulder into between it and robot, and pushed with all her might to worm her way past.

_C'mon, Shinobu...c'mon! _she urged herself, letting out as much air from her lungs as she could. Grabbing hold of the far side of the robot, she pulled as hard she could, trying to drag herself out. But even as skinny as she was, she could barely even move. Grunts of pain and effort slipped passed her lips as she pulled harder and harder, barely making any headway.

When she was roughly halfway to freedom, the whirring sound of machinery grew louder, prompting Shinobu to look up and gasp as she realized that she was out of time. No less than three Mecha-Tamas of a type she had seen before flew in, the turtle-like robots deploying several robotic tendrils with clawed hands. "No!" the young cook gasped out, her lungs too compressed to allow her to speak with greater force. "St-stay away!"

Unsurprisingly, the flying machines ignored her plea. What _did _surprise her was the fact that the first two robots didn't go for her; instead, they grabbed hold of the robot that she was trying to worm her away around. With apparently no effort at all, the Mecha-Tamas yanked the thing away from the wall, allowing Shinobu to fall to the floor once again. "Ouch!" she yelped, wincing at the latest of bumps and bruises she had suffered that day. Giving a quick shake of her head, she watched as the mechanical turtles shoved the offending robot away before turning to look at her. "Uh...well," Shinobu started, unsure of what she should do. "Thanks for...helping me out, and..."

Before she could find the right words to finish her statement of gratitude, the lead Mecha-Tama cut her off by reaching out with its mechanical hands and grabbed her by the waist. "Hey!" Shinobu cried out as the metal turtle lifted her up off the ground. "Wh-wh-what are you -let go of me!" Almost in tears after everything that had happened that day, the blue-haired girl could do nothing as the Mecha-Tama opened its mouth. Instantly expecting a flame thrower or something even worse, she brought her arms up before her face, trembling badly as she watched what looked like a small TV with a series of moving antennae and even a small satellite appear from the robot's mouth.

"What is that?" Shinobu demanded, quaking badly as the Mecha-Tama extended the device further out using another mechanical tentacle, running it up and down the length of her body. After several seconds of such activity, it brought the device back up, allowing the blue-haired girl a good look at it as it flashed a cartoony version of Kaolla's face looking sad with tears running down her face.

A puzzled squeak escaping her mouth, Shinobu was about to ask her captor what this meant when she noticed the other two Mecha-Tama's taking up positions to her sides. "Uh..." she moaned, her bad feeling getting even worse when two panels on their 'shells' flipped open, revealing mechanical hoses. A drop of sweat rolling down the side of her head, she realized that they were aiming their hoses right at her. "Oh, no...wait -!"

Once again, Shinobu's protests fell upon deaf ears. Before she could finish her plea, the two Mecha-Tamas sent forth sprays of an icy cold liquid that chilled her already half-frozen form right through to her bones. "Oh, no! _Stop it!"_ she pleaded desperately as the flying robots shifted about, spraying her from every possible angle. As she moved about, spraying her this way any that, the robot holding her occasionally shifted the position of its gripping hands, with its fellows spraying them as well before it found a new handhold. She was sprayed over and over again, even in places she preferred not to think about, until at last she was sopping wet.

"Ohhh..." Shinobu groaned, her hair more like a rat's next with it dripping in her eyes. Barely able to see her captors anymore, she still forced herself to watch as they retracted the hoses before sending out a different set. Groaning again, she asked, "What now...?"

The Mecha-Tamas answered by switching on the new hoses, but instead of spraying her, the new nozzles turned out to be vacuum cleaners of some kind, pulling away the filthy liquid they had used on her. Once again, the robots moved with mechanical precision, vacuuming every square inch of her clothes and body. Before long, much of the water or whatever it was had been extracted, and the robot turtles recalled their vacuum tubes. Then a third panel of their shells opened up, revealing mechanical arms equipped with what looked like some kind of buffing tool. Moving in with these, the Mecha-Tamas twirled the brushes, which turned out to be much softer than Shinobu would have expected.

Again, she was subjected to the humiliation of being brushed where she would have preferred not to be, but before long Shinobu felt a good deal drier. Two of the Mecha-Tama's pulled away while the third again swept her body with the curious sensory device. This time, it flashed a caricature of Kaolla looking buoyantly happy with a simple sun image behind her head.

Looking from the device to the Mecha-Tama holding her, Shinobu watched and waited as it gently turned about and set her back down on the ground, well away from a messy patch on the ground, where the other robots were already working, using their vacuum tubes to clear away the green glop there.

_Wait a second...!_ Shinobu gasped even as the Mecha-Tama turned away from her to join it's fellows. Pausing to look down at herself, she quickly realized that she was completely clean. Not so much of a trace of the foul green glop remained on her. _So that's it! Those must cleanup Mecha-Tama! Kaolla must be using them to clean up the mess!_

Glad to be clean once more, Shinobu sighed as she watched the robots continue to clean up the strange slime. She had no idea what that stuff was, or why the Mecha-Tama were in such a hurry to clean it up. All she really cared about was that she was tired and had had enough excitement for one day. So she decided not to tempt fate by lingering around, and instead darted away, looking for the elevator out of there.

_One thing's for sure. I'm still going to take a bath when I get back upstairs!_ Shinobu thought as she darted along. _My skin still feels itchy!_

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Looks like Shinobu got off pretty lucky? Or did she? Please, read and review! And maybe check out some of my other stories please?<p>

Vassman, Indeed, Shinobu's a sweetie who deserves major props for standing up to her quarreling parents. As for getting her together with Keitaro...I'm assuming you're referring to the age gap between them. Personally, I don't think it's a big deal myself. But don't worry, I don't plan on doing anything creepy. Or at least, anything that I would consider creepy.

aondehafka, That's certainly a...different idea. It's not what I have in mind, but the idea of Shinobu packing Ryoko's powers is an interesting one, to be sure. And thanks for pointing out my little goof on Kaolla's name.

Wonderbee31, as you've already noticed, that's not what I had in mind for this story. But I do plan on having some serious fun here, and I hope that you'll enjoy it.

animefan29, as you've seen in this chapter, that's a pretty good guess.


	3. Keitaro's Collision Course

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 3: Keitaro's Collision Course

"...and that's what happened," Shinobu concluded as she lounged about in the Hinata Inn's hot spring, a simple towel wrapped about her slender frame. The hot water having never felt as good before as it did after her harrowing escapade. "After the security system shut down, I was able to get back to the elevator. I still don't know what caused it to go crazy like that, though."

"That certainly explains all the noises we heard," Mokoto frowned uneasily. The kendo practitioner, like Shinobu, Naru, and Kitsune, wrapped in a towel and enjoying the warmth of the bath, though it was plain to see that she was not being relaxed by the waters. "I have to admit to being concerned."

"Concerned, nothing! I was scared outta my mind, sugah!" Kitsune declared, taking a nip of a cup of sake that she had handy. "It sounded like World War III down there! I'm amazed that you even got out of there in one piece!"

Nodding to this, Naru sighed and gave their youngest tenant a tender look. "I'm sorry about all this, Shinobu. I _knew _we shouldn't have sent you down all on your own." Then the light-haired brunette furrowed her brows and drove her fist into the palm of her hand. "Grr...this is all that pervert Keitaro's fault! If he hadn't wormed his way out of going, this would never have happened!"

Groaning at how quickly Naru hung the responsibility for recent events right upon Keitaro's shoulders without any reason, Shinobu looked at her pleadingly. "But...it wasn't sempai's fault!" she warily protested. "I volunteered, and...!"

"Yes, I know, but you shouldn't have had to!" Naru went on, her expression softening momentarily. "Besides, that jerk _is _the manager here! _He_ should be the one who has to take care of things like this!" Shaking her head in disgust, the volatile beauty muttered, "If you had gotten hurt, I'd..."

"Naru, please. I know it might be difficult to believe, but for once, that spineless weakling is not to blame," Motoko commented in what Shinobu supposed was a comforting manner. "We all agreed that Shinobu's plan was the best option we had, and we all supported her decision. We can only be thankful that she managed to come out of this situation unharmed." The warrior woman than frowned as she studied Shinobu. "Now, you said that Kaolla's security system appeared to be malfunctioning?"

Nodding quickly, Shinobu elaborated, "It's like I told you. All the weapons were firing randomly. And the robots she had working on her big project started smashing into each other! It was all completely crazy! "

"Then we should try and find out what caused this malfunction when we talk to Kaolla later," Motoko decided. "Such a systems failure could pose a serious threat to all of us if it happened again."

"Are ya sure we can?" Kitsune wondered with a raised eyebrow. "We don't want her finding out that Shinobu was snooping down there!"

"It should be alright," Naru informed her. "After all, we all heard her security system going off."

"Indeed," Motoko nodded. "And we are perfectly in our rights to be concerned about such a potential threat to our livelihoods here." Then she returned her focus to their chef, her eyes narrowing sharply. "Now, Shinobu, you're positive you've told us everything you know about Kaolla's project? That there's nothing else?"

"I told you everything!" Shinobu confirmed. "I saw this hologram of a platform with six curved poles or something surrounding it, and what looked like a person standing on it. And her robots were filling tubes with some kind of green, slimy stuff."

"That doesn't sound like a weapon," Naru commented in a thoughtful manner. "Or a robot or any of the stuff Kaolla's usually working on."

"Sure don't!" Kitsune agreed, taking another swig of her sake. "And damn if that ain't a load offa my mind!"

Casting a sideways glance at Kitsune, Motoko reprimanded her by saying, "It's too soon for us to be relieved. We still don't know what exactly this project of Kaolla's is."

"Hey, as long as it's something that ain't going to nuke us or whatever, then I really don't care!" Kitsune replied as she sat back and relaxed even more.

"Maybe _you _don't care, but _I _still want to know what this thing is. Especially after what happened to Shinobu down there," Naru declared in a forceful manner. "We've got to find out what exactly she's up to..."

"I doubt another infiltration will work. Not after today," Motoko decided. "Kaolla's bound to be even warier about letting people down into her lab." The swordswoman frowned deeply as she considered the matter. "Wait. Didn't you say you spotted a symbol on one of her machines?"

Shinobu made an affirmative sound in her throat. "It was on one of the machines that was making that green goo," she reported, shuddering at the thought of that foul substance. "It looked like a Molmol symbol to me, but I didn't recognize it."

"Maybe, but it's still a clue." Then Naru frowned somberly before adding, "It's too bad Seta's off on another of his trips. I bet _he'd _know what it meant."

"Well, what about Haruka?" Kitsune suggested. "She an' Seta studied together at college, right? And with all the traveling she with Granny Hina, she might know a thing or three about it!"

Furrowing her brows in concentration, Naru eventually shrugged. "I guess it's worth a try, at least," she finally conceded. "We'll go to her place tomorrow and ask about it."

A long moment of silence passed before Shinobu hesitantly said, "Uh...why don't I go instead?" As the three older girls looked at her, the blue-haired girl nervously averted her eyes before explaining, "I mean...I'm the one who actually saw it. So..."

"Are you sure?" Naru asked with a definite hint of concern. "I mean, it'd be no trouble for us to go with you! And after what happened -!"

"I'm fine, Naru! Really!" Shinobu quickly protested, briefly waving her hands before her to emphasize the point. "Besides, I can just stop by the Hinata Cafe on the way back from school tomorrow! It'd be no trouble!"

Frowning somewhat, Naru considered Shinobu for a time before finally sighing. "Well...okay. If you're sure," she finally conceded. When the blue-haired girl nodded, Naru smiled gently before rising up. "Anyway, if that's settled, why don't we go in have dinner? I need to be in bed early tonight if I'm going to be up from cram school tomorrow!"

"Agreed," Motoko nodded, the picture of grace as she rose up as well. "Also, let's be careful about how talk around Kaolla this evening. We don't want her to realize what we have been doing."

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard," Kitsune decided as she stood. "Kaolla's not only about as subtle as collapsing building, but she also has the attention span of one." Chuckling slightly at her own wit, the foxy lady added, "Anyway, we better let Keitaro know you've told us, sugah. I'm sure he'll be glad we won't have another giant robot running around here!"

Shinobu nodded, feeling a sense of relief as well, but not because of this. But because she had accomplished what she had set out to do. She had succeeded in keeping Keitaro from being harmed, if only just this one time.

_If they had made sempai go into Kaolla's lab, it would have been a disaster!_ Shinobu knew, recalling the delight in the Molmol princess's face as she thought of subjecting Keitaro to a barrage of machine gun and missile fire. _She would have ripped her own lab apart, just to hurt him even more!_

Sighing loudly at the ugly emotions this thought stirred in her, Shinobu required a moment to sigh and shove them to the side. Getting angry wouldn't help. It wouldn't stop Kaolla from mistreating Keitaro, wouldn't shield him from the wrath and cruel antics of the other girls there. Once again, questions as to why the otherwise pleasant people she lived with could so gladly and eagerly torment the kindest person she had ever met flitted through her mind, and once again, she shoved them aside, knowing that there was no answer to those questions. Or at least, none that she could understand.

_Still...I'm glad I was able...to keep him safe. If only just this once,_ Shinobu thought, trying to focus on the one positive of this situation. Then, as she stood up from the hot bath, she admitted, _I just wish...I could do it...all the time..._

"Say, Shinobu?" Kitsune began, stirring the young chef from her thoughts. "What you got planned for dinner tonight?"

A confused sound escaping her lips, Shinobu required a moment before answering, "Uh...I'm not sure. I...haven't even thought about that. I...I'm sorry, I -!"

"Hey, don't worry about it!" Naru told her, shooting the blue-haired girl a kindly smile. "Tell you what; why don't you take the night off? We can order out, right?"

As the other girls nodded their assent, Shinobu held up her hands in negation. "Oh, you don't have to do that! I can -!"

"No, it's okay! Really!" Naru persisted, moving to bend down and look her in the eyes. "Besides, you've already done so much today! You've earned a day off." Then she looked up at the other young women and asked, "Don't you think so?"

"Absolutely!" Kitsune seconded with a broad smile.

"Indeed," Motoko agreed with a polite bow of her head. "You've displayed a great deal of courage this day. Especially for one so young."

"Uh...thanks," Shinobu replied uncertainly. And so, the four of them started back into the Inn proper, with the young chef lagging behind a short distance.

_I wonder if I should've told them about how I got sprayed with that gross, green stuff?_ Shinobu thought, massaging her right shoulder, still feeling the foul substance in her memory. Then she shook her head and decided, _No. Naru was ready to attack sempai after she heard about Kaolla's security going off. If she knew about _that,_ then who knows _what _she would do?_ Then she forced herself to stop rubbing her arm with the thought, _Besides, it's probably no big deal, anyway._

* * *

><p>Groaning heavily, Keitaro felt like his legs were made of lead as he made his back to the Hinata Inn that evening. Lead that progressively grew heavier with each and every step he took, a burden made worse by how his arms felt increasingly like re-fried rubber bands, how his grip became that much more tenuous as he carried the take-out dinner he had ordered for them.<p>

_This is ridiculous. Why can't there be at least _one _restaurant willing to make deliveries to us?_ Keitaro wondered as he started up the long flight of steps that led to the Inn. _I mean, sure, things get pretty crazy here - okay, a _lot _crazy - but still, you'd think there'd be at least one! I mean, shipping companies, _they _make deliveries here! Same with the grocers! Why not restaurants?_

This question ringing futilely in his head, Keitaro struggled up the stairs, wondering if the Earth's gravity had intensified at some point and nobody had mentioned it, the perpetual ronin sighed. _Oh, well. Things could be worse, I guess,_ he decided about halfway up the stairs. _Kaolla's not making another death machine, and Shinobu didn't get hurt finding that out._ Then he gave a wry smile before adding, _And I didn't get hit by Naru or anyone else, which is always good._ Then he sighed loudly before lowering his eyes once again. _So why don't I feel better?_

All it took was a moment's thought for Keitaro to realize why that was. _It's like the calm before the storm,_ he decided as he reached the top of the stairs, the end of his long trek in sight. _Things are going smoothly right now, but what happens later? We still don't know what exactly Kaolla's up to. And just because it's not another doomsday robot doesn't mean that it'll be harmless._

Suffering a bad feeling that, when Kaolla finally did unveil her big project, he would not only not like it, but be subjected to a great deal of physical punishment, Keitaro approached the main entrance. Only to pause when he was greeted by a kindly, familiar voice that called out, "Hey, sempai!"

Mildly startled, Keitaro let out a relieved sigh when Shinobu appeared from the doors and started up to him. "You surprised me, Shinobu," he admitted, thinking of the last time she had appeared before him after a long, enforced walk, greeting him with a smile.

"Sorry about that, but...since I wasn't cooking, I thought it might as well wait here for you to get back," Shinobu explained, glancing down at the burdens he bore. "You know...just in case you needed any help."

Keitaro's legs were numb and wearied, and his arms were desperately eager to be relieved of the packages of food he carried. But as he looked at the earnest girl who worked so hard, never once complaining about it, he shoved his body's complaints to the side before replying, "No, that's okay. I can manage it." Then he glanced over at the door before saying, "Though...if you could please get the door for me..."

"Okay," Shinobu answered with a quick nod before moving to do so. Prompting an even bigger, though no less wearied, smile from Keitaro.

_Even after everything that's happened today, she's still doing her best to help,_ Keitaro thought fondly as he forced his wearied body to move forward once again. _And Naru was right; she does deserve a night off from cooking and everything._ As he pushed himself towards the door, he winced as one muscle or another protested before adding, _And I _am _glad to help give her some time off...but I _still _wish someone else could've taken care of this..._

As Keitaro made his way through the Inn with Shinobu at his side, he passed the main living room. "Why, hey there, Keitaro!" Kitsune greeted him from the sofa she was lounging on, a movie playing in the background. "Glad to see you back, sugah!"

"Yeah, and it's about time!" Naru seconded as she marched up to them, shooting the manager a painfully familiar look of annoyed disapproval. "What took you so long, anyway?"

"Hey, c'mon!" Keitaro protested, fully aware that it would do him no good, but hoping to at least avoid any physical punishment. "You think it was easy hauling enough food for six people back on foot while making sure that none of the bags broke?"

"Whatever!" Naru sneered in a dismissive manner even as she grabbed two of the bags. His wearied hand promptly surrendering them, Keitaro watched as the beauteous girl turned and started towards the kitchen. "Let's just get this stuff reheated and served already!"

"I hear that!" Kitsune chimed in, coming up to Keitaro and taking another bag off his hands. "Let's go, gang! I'm _starved!"_

Watching as two of his tenants made their way to the kitchen, Keitaro sighed and let his gaze fall to the floor. _It never changes around here,_ he thought, his eyes watering somewhat. _It took me forever to back here, and all they do is complain that I'm not fast enough, not good enough..._ Looking back up at the departing girls, he gave a low, weary sigh. _Just once, it'd be so nice to hear them say 'thank you', or 'I appreciate what you're doing for us', or..._

"I'm sorry about that, sempai," came a kindly voice, one that broke Keitaro out of his exhausted stupor and prompted him to look into a kindly, apologetic face. "I mean...I didn't mean to put you to all this trouble...I..."

Feeling as if a hammer comprised of pure guilt had slammed down upon him from above, Keitaro quickly forgot his exhausted body and burning feet. "No, no, you don't have to worry about it! Really!" he assured the young chef, waving her concerns aside as best as he could. "I mean, with all the work you do around here, you deserve a day off!"

A fake-sounding laugh tumbling out of his mouth, Keitaro watched as Shinobu's expression became even more downcast. "You do more work than any of us, sempai," she told him, taking the remaining bags from his wearied fingers. "I wish I could give _you _a day off." Blinking a few times at this, the bespectacled ronin could only watch as she took a tentative step back, her cheeks coloring somewhat as she gave him a polite bow. "Well, I...I better help get the food ready."

After scuffling her feet for a moment, Shinobu turned and made her way towards the kitchen. Leaving Keitaro to stare after her for a time before sighing. _I wish you could give me a day off, too,_ he thought as he slowly started after her. _I wish..._

His train of thought deteriorating, Keitaro shoved it to the side before slowly starting after the young chef. Still feeling as if his legs had been someone replaced with ones made of solid lead, he eventually wound up in the kitchen. Upon seeing Naru and Kitsune rifling through the bags, searching for their orders, he ran his hand about the back of his head before asking, "So...where're Motoko and Kaolla?"

"Well, the last I saw Motoko, she was heading out to do some practicing. Said she figured she might as well get some exercise in before eating," Kitsune reported as she inspected one of the labeled packages before setting it aside. "An' as for our mad scientist in residence, I'm guessing she's still down in her lab."

"Really?" Keitaro frowned. "I thought she'd be up here by now, demanding dinner!"

"I agree. I guess whatever happened, it must've been a bigger mess than we thought," Naru decided. Then she frowned worriedly. "I hope she wasn't hurt when her security system went crazy."

"Well, she seemed fine earlier when I called to tell her we were ordering out for dinner and to ask her what she wanted," Keitaro reported, thinking back to that brief conversation. "But...well, she did seem pretty distracted."

"No surprise there," Naru promptly decided. "Did she say what happened?"

Keitaro shrugged and answered, "All she said was that there was a hiccup in her lab and that she was going to working on getting it fixed."

Frowning in thought, Naru then sighed before starting towards the door. "I better go check on her," she decided as she marched past Keitaro. "And I'll go tell Motoko that dinner's here."

"Thanks. I appreciate that," Keitaro sincerely answered, suffering a chill as he thought about the one and only time he had been foolish enough to show up at Motoko's door.

As he tried to shove aside the nightmares that had been spawned by that particular incident, Shinobu wondered, "So, what did you get for Kaolla, sempai?"

"Eh, she said she didn't care what I got her, just so long as it was 'yummy'," Keitaro reported, using the Molmol girl's own terminology. "So I ordered that special platter that I got for her last time."

"Good call," Kitsune decided with a nod. "So, shall we wait for the others before we start digging in, or what?"

After a moment's consideration, Keitaro decided, "I think it would be better to wait. It's not like it'll hurt to wait a couple minutes, right?" When Kitsune responded to this with a pouty expression, the bespectacled ronin added, "Besides, it'll give us time to set the table and get everything ready."

"That's right. Besides, we don't want to be rude," Shinobu declared. When Keitaro started towards the drawers with the silverware, the blue-haired girl shook her head and held up her hands in negation. "No, let me take care of it, sempai!"

"Are you sure?" Keitaro frowned in concern.

Nodding and smiling broadly, Shinobu continued, "Besides, you look tired. Why don't you sit down and relax a bit, sempai?" When Keitaro to look worriedly at her, she smiled even more brightly and assured him, "Don't worry, I can take care of this myself!"

"Well, if you insist, Shinobu!" Kitsune declared before Keitaro could think of something to say to her. Smiling in that foxy manner that she was known for, she made her way to the ronin. "Well, c'mon, Keitaro! It's not polite to refuse a lady!" she told him in a teasing manner. "Take a load off! You look like something the cat dragged in!"

Not doubting Kitsune's word for once, Keitaro sighed before relenting. "Okay, Shinobu," he replied before allowing Kitsune to lead him to the dining room. Gratefully accepting a seat there, he watched as their resident trickster took a seat for herself.

Meanwhile, Shinobu became a veritable whirlwind of activity. In less than a minute, the places at the table had been set, complete with napkins and full silverware. A minute later, the young chef had served them both beverages, and was proceeding back to the kitchen when the other tenants of the Hinata Inn arrived. "Well! I see you lost no time in slacking off!" Naru declared upon her arrival, shooting Keitaro a look that sent shivers running up and down his spine. "I thought we agreed that this was going to be Shinobu's night off?"

Groaning in dismay, a hundred excuses on his lips that he knew would not save him from a seemingly inevitable trip on Naru Knuckle Airlines, Keitaro was saved when Shinobu piped up, "It's no problem, everyone! Sempai was tired, so I decided to set the table! That's all!"

"It's true, Naru!" Kitsune chimed in, holding up her beer in emphasis. "I can vouch for him on this one! I was here, after all!"

Glancing between her fellow females, Naru then glared at Keitaro for a moment before rolling her eyes and taking her seat. "You're too easy on him, Shinobu," Motoko commented in a stern manner as she entered. "You shouldn't allow a male to shirk his responsibilities."

Wincing at the unmistakable distaste which Motoko inferred upon his gender, Keitaro watched as Shinobu replied, "But...it's not that big a deal, right? All I'm doing is...setting the table, and...!" Before the blue-haired girl could say another word, a short, tan blur shot past Naru and Motoko, practically bowling over Shinobu in the process. "Kaolla?"

"Sorry, Shinobu! But I don't have any time right now!" Kaolla announced as she made her way into the kitchen. "I've got big problems! Big, _big _problems!"

"Uh... Kaolla?" Naru got out, a slight frown decorating her lips. "What are you...?"

"My lab control systems got cooked when I spilled tea on them!" Kaolla called out from inside the kitchen. "I've got to get them repaired before I can get back to work on my big project!"

"You...spilled...?" Shinobu hesitantly repeated as she looked into the kitchen. "Kaolla -?"

"Aw, no worries, Shinobu!" Kaolla announced in her typically cheerful manner. "It was all my fault! I thought I saw someone sneaking around and knocked it over on my own! Clumsy me!"

"You...thought you...?" Motoko repeated blankly. "Wait, Kaolla -!"

"It was just a false alarm, though! I know none of you would go snooping around like that!" While Shinobu squirmed somewhat at this declaration, Kaolla continued with, "But I have to get back down there and finish the repairs before I can get back to work on Anhulakalawka's Chamber. So I'm going to be having dinner down in my lab, okays?"

"Anhulakalawka's Chamber?" Kitsune repeated in a befuddled voice. "What the heck -!"

"Oopsies! I said too much!" Kaolla cried out in dismay. Suddenly poking her head out of the kitchen door, she looked about at the others with a pleading expression. "Please, don't ask me about that! It's supposed to be a surprise!"

"Well - we know that, Kaolla!" Naru informed her an increasingly flustered manner. "But -!"

"Thanks! I really appreciate that!" Kaolla announced as she scampered out of the kitchen with several bags in hand. Pausing just long enough to look at the startled Keitaro and say, "Oh, and thanks for getting dinner! I'm gonna need lots and _lots _of energy tonight!"

Without another word, Kaolla shot out of sight. Leaving a stunned Keitaro to rise out of his chair and cry out, "But Kaolla, you've got _our _dinners, too!"

Groaning in dismay, Naru shook her head before fixing her glare on the perpetual target of her ire. "Nice going, Keitaro! She's already heading down to her lab! With all _our_ food!"

"Wha-?" Keitaro began, stunned by the sudden turnabout. "But - but I -!"

"Oh, nice move, Keitaro!" Kitsune grumbled, folding her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow at him. "'It's not like it'll hurt to wait a couple minutes', you said!" she repeated in a mocking caricature of his voice. "Looks like we're going to be waiting a lot longer than that! Why didn't you stop her?"

"That's what _I'd _like to know!" Naru demanded with greater force. "How could you just sit there while Kaolla made off with all our dinners?"

While Keitaro was struggling to come up with an explanation, he was rescued by an unexpected savior. "He is not the only one who allowed this to happened, Naru," Motoko declared, sounding as if she were mentally kicking herself. "We all were perfectly capable of stopping Kaolla from absconding with our meals, and instead, we did nothing."

"But the pervert's supposed to be the manager here!" Naru countered, gesturing at Keitaro. "That means it's his job to keep her in line!"

"Something that we all know to be easier said than done, unfortunately." Motoko made a face before adding, "However, that doesn't change the fact that we still need something to eat ourselves."

His stomach issuing a growl that signaled its agreement with Motoko, Keitaro watched as Shinobu shrugged and said, "Well...I guess I better get to work, then..."

"What?" In almost no time at all, Naru was smiling gingerly, holding out her hands before her as she said, "No, you don't have to do that! This is your night off, remember?"

"Huh?" Shinobu replied, her face settling into a puzzled frown. "But...Kaolla already took the takeout dinners, so -"

"So we'll just order something else," Naru assured her. "It won't take long, I'm sure!"

"It better not! I'm already on empty here!" Kitsune commented in a playfully pouty manner. "And if we're ordering out again, let's make sure that we get Kaolla to pay us back for it!" The foxy lady gave a shake of her head before muttering, "Honestly, where does that girl put it all, anyway?"

"That's what _I'd _like to know!" Naru grumbled sourly. "Anyway, Keitaro, you better call that restaurant and get going!"

It took a moment for Keitaro to process the meaning of this statement, and when he did, his heart plummeted to the bottoms of his feet. "Wha...?" he started, hoping against hoping that he had somehow misunderstood her. "You mean...you want me to go out there..._again?"_

"Well, of course! After all, you _are _the manager here!" Naru declared, sounding as if she were wondering just how stupid he could be. "Besides, Shinobu risked her neck for us! Don't you _want _to give her a break? Especially with all the work she already does for us?"

"Of _course _I do, but -!" Keitaro protested, his wearied body trembling at the threat of such fresh exertion, and on an empty stomach.

"Wait! You don't have to go to all that trouble!" Shinobu protested in a shaky manner. "I mean, I can just -!"

"And I told you, it's no trouble at all," Naru assured her, effortlessly switching from her demanding voice to her kind, gentle one, and then back again in time to say, "Isn't that right?"

"That's right. 'Sides, think of the exercise!" Kitsune grinned impishly. "You could stand to put a little extra muscle on those scrawny bones of yours!"

"Indeed, he could," Mokoto declared, her tone making it clear that she would not be rescuing Keitaro a second time. "Besides, as Naru keeps reminding us, you _are _supposed to be the manager of the Hinata Inn. Therefore, such chores are your responsibility." Then the kendo warrior narrowed her eyes sharply, adding, "And do not think for a moment that we will tolerate your shirking these responsibilities like the shameless male you are."

Fixed by two deadly scowls filled with the promise of brutal violence, Keitaro simply sat there for a time before slumping forward. _Why? Why me?_ he wondered, tears streaming from his eyes. _Why does it always, _always _have to be me...?_

* * *

><p><em>Why does it always have to be poor sempai?<em> Shinobu thought unhappily as she walked along the path she regularly took between school and the Hinata Inn. _All he ever does is try to help us, and the others just keep treating him horribly!_

Her eyes falling to her feet, Shinobu continued forward, her thoughts dwelling on the disastrous events of the previous day. After Kaolla had stolen the dinners of the rest of the Hinata residents, Naru and Motoko had pressured an already exhausted Keitaro with unspoken promises of violence into ordering for replacement dinners and then going out to fetch them. As a result, Keitaro had been so utterly exhausted on his return that he had slumped against a wall and sagged to the floor like every bone in his body had turned to paste. All the while Naru and the other girls had gladly helped themselves to the takeout dinners he had brought back, completely ignoring him save for making it clear that he should have gotten back faster, leaving Shinobu to gawk at her mistreated crush in absolute horror before helping him to the living room.

_It's not fair! _Shinobu thought not for the first time, trying to keep the annoyance she felt from burning into something much more dangerous. _He could barely even get to the couch, let alone his own bedroom!_ Thinking of how the beleaguered ronin had fallen fast asleep as soon as his head had hit one of the cushions, without even having had his dinner, and how this had quickly caused the young chef to lose her own appetite. _All I wanted to do was protect Keitaro from them, and all I did was make even more work and trouble for him! It's not fair!_

This thought continued to ring in Shinobu's mind before falling into the pit of her stomach, where it proceeded to burn, sending fresh sparks of annoyance through her, sparks that she quickly gave a thorough mental stomping, lest they become true anger. Evil, ugly anger that could only make things worse. _I...I can't let myself think about right now!_ she told herself fiercely. _I have to go talk to Haruka-san! See if she knows anything that can help us!_

With that thought in mind, Shinobu accelerated, moving as fast as her young legs could carry her. And before long, she found herself at the base of the hill the Hinata Inn was at, looking at the Hinata Cafe. The old-fashioned teahouse looked fairly quiet, giving the young girl hope that its owner would not be too busy. And with that hope in mind, she darted up to the front door and entered. Accompanied by the tingling bell that announced a potential customer, Shinobu took a few deep breaths as she looked about the customers enjoying their tea and cakes. "Hello, Shinobu!" came a matronly voice. "What brings you here?"

Relieved to see Haruka, Shinobu scampered up to the counter she was standing behind. "Good afternoon, Haruka-san," she began, politely bowing as she spoke. "Sorry if I'm bothering you, but..."

"You're not bothering me! Trust me when I say that I would let you know if you were bothering me!" Haruka informed her, her cigarette dangling from her lips like it was about to fall. "So, what are you doing here, anyway? Looking for a cup of tea?"

"Well...actually, there's something I need to talk to you about." Then she glanced about at the other people there, and said, "But...if you're too busy, then..."

"Not at all. I was just thinking about taking a break myself," Haruka assured her. "Why don't you go take a seat. I'll get someone to take over the register for a while so we can talk."

Nodding to this, Shinobu quickly made her way over to one of the tables, and contented herself to glance about at the other customers, waiting as Haruka called in one of her waiters. As soon as he had taken her place behind the cash register, the matronly owner of the Hinata Cafe made her way over to the table the blue-haired girl was at. "So, what did you want to talk about?" she wondered with a slight smile. "Are the girls giving Kei-kun more trouble than usual?"

"Well...that's part of it, but...well, I think I should start at the beginning." And with that, Shinobu recollected the events of yesterday, explaining the numerous deliveries Kaolla was getting and her secret project, as well as how she had ventured down into the Molmol girl's lab. Shinobu left out how she had been sprayed with the green gunk, but she did tell Haruka of the other things she had seen, as well as how Kaolla had blurted out the name of that project. "Now, I stopped by the library on the way here, but they don't have any books on Molmol."

"Can't say I'm surprised. A tiny island nation like Molmol doesn't get a lot of attention," Haruka commented in a knowing manner.

"So, anyway, we figured that since you and Seta were...close, you might be able to help us out," Shinobu concluded.

Plucking the cigarette from her mouth, Haruka frowned uneasily. "Well...maybe. You can't hang around with Seta for as long as I did without picking up a few things," she admitted. "But I was never as big an archeology buff as he is. So I can't promise anything." Shinobu quickly nodded her understanding. "Now, what was what it that Kaolla called this thing she's working on? Anhulakalawka's Chamber?"

"That's right," Shinobu confirmed. "Does that mean anything to you, Haruka-san?"

Taking a long drag of her still-burning cigarette, Haruka narrowed her eyes in a thoughtful manner. "Well, I've never heard of this chamber or whatever, but if I remember correctly, Anhulakalawka is the Molmol goddess of war."

Her eyes widening somewhat at this, Shinobu felt her insides twisting in grave concern as she replied, "Really? Goddess...of _war?"_

A noise of confirmation sounding in her throat, Haruka went on to explain, "It's said that she used her great beauty to inspire hatred, jealously and violence in men, working to plant the seeds of war." Then she gave a wry smile before adding, "And according to legend, any warrior she went the distance with would become invincible in battle."

"Went the...oh...right," Shinobu realized, her cheeks burning at the thought. "But...what would a goddess of war have to do with Kaolla's new project?"

"That's a good question. And one I don't have a good answer to," Haruka admitted with a shrug. "Now, what about this symbol you mentioned? Can you show me what it looks like?"

"Hmm? Oh, right!" Shinobu replied before pulling out her schoolbag. After a few moments' of rifling about inside of it, she fished out a pencil and a pad of paper. As quickly as she could, she sketched out the symbol she had seen the previous night. "Now, this isn't all that good, but...basically, this is what it looked like."

Handing over the rough image of what still looked like a monstrous clown, Shinobu watched as Haruka studied it for a time, her brows furrowed in concentration. "Well, it's definitely a Molmol symbol of some kind, but beyond that, I can't tell you anything about this one," she admitted. "I could try faxing it to Seta, if you like. He could tell us more about it than I could."

Though somewhat disappointed that there would be no immediate answers on that front, Shinobu nodded. "Okay. And could you see what he knows about Anhulakalawka's Chamber, too?" When Haruka nodded her response, the blue-haired girl sighed in relief. "Thanks. That'd be great."

"Hey, no problem!" Haruka assured her. "Kei-kun might be a klutz, but I do want to help him out when I can."

"Thanks!" Shinobu answered. She was about to rise to her feet when something in the older woman's words prompted her to pause.

"What is it?" Haruka wondered as the young girl's smile faded. "Is something wrong, Shinobu?"

Shinobu didn't respond right away. Instead, she settled into her seat and slowly studied the woman that had helped Keitaro establish his role as manager of the Hinata Inn. "Well...not exactly," she muttered uncertainly, wondering if she should even say anything about this. "It's just...you know the kinda trouble sempai has? You know...with the others?"

This drew a derisive snort from the cafe owner. "Do I? Shinobu, half the people who come here bring cameras, just in case he does his human cannonball act! Those flights of his have made pretty much made him a tourist attraction!" A smirk hovered on Haruka's lips, one that faded quickly. "Why? Did something happen? Something...worse than usual?"

"Well...not exactly," Shinobu admitted slowly. "I just...it's not fair, that's all. Sempai never did anything to hurt anyone, and...sometimes it feels like all they ever want to do is beat him up."

Blinking a few times, Haruka let out a weary sigh before leaning forward. "I see."

"I mean...I know he trips and sometimes stuff happens that looks bad, but...he never does any of that on purpose," Shinobu continued uncertainly. "Half the time, it feels like all they want to do is punish him for things that aren't his fault!" As Haruka nodded to this, the young chef flashed back to last night's disastrous events. "Kaolla, she thinks shooting him is funny, and Naru - she blames him for everything that goes wrong, and...!"

"I know, Shinobu. Believe me, I know!" Haruka assured her. "I've been dealing with those girls well before you or Kei-kun arrived on the scene, remember?"

Nodding, Shinobu looked down, taking hold of the hem of her skirt. "It's just...I wish there was something I could do to help him. I..."

"I know what you're saying. And believe me, Shinobu, I want to help him, too!" Haruka assured her. "But...the fact is that there's not a whole lot we can do."

"But...why not? Why can't you do something?" Shinobu wondered, her fears and frustrations over Keitaro's situation and her inability to help taking hold. "Naru and the others, they listen to you! Can't you -?"

"No. Nothing I could say to any of them would help. If anything, I would just make things worse," Haruka assured her. When Shinobu gave her a puzzled frown, the elder Urashima explained, "If I were to try to lecture Naru or the other girls on how they're treating Kei-kun, they wouldn't listen to me. All that'll happen is that they'll get mad about it, and more than likely, they'll wind up taking their frustrations out on him. Do you understand?"

As much as Shinobu didn't like it, she had to admit that Haruka had a point. Whenever something bad happened at the Hinata Inn, Naru and the others blamed on Keitaro almost without fail. And a lecture from Haruka would almost certainly fall under that category. "But...it's not fair."

"I know that, and to be honest, I knew that there would be problems with Naru and the others for a long time now," Haruka commented in a weary fashion. "When Granny Hina allowed them all to stay at the Inn, she felt sorry for them, and she wanted to help them deal with their problems. But in the end, she wound up enjoying having them around so much that she started coddling them. So she eventually decided that the thing to do would be have to Keitaro take over as manager."

"I have, but - how can putting sempai in charge help with that?" Shinobu demanded incredulously, unable to fathom the old woman's thinking. "All they do is torment him!"

"She felt that by forcing them to deal with a man on a day-to-day basis, they would gradually let go of their hatred of men." Then Haruka shrugged and admitted, "At least, that was the theory she gave me before taking off."

"Well, it doesn't seem to be working," Shinobu decided in a sorrowful manner.

"Tell me about it." Giving a slow shake of her head, Haruka then gave a kindly look at the young chef. "Look, Shinobu, I'm really glad that you want to help, but the truth is that, at this point, I think the only person who can help Kei-kun is Kei-kun himself."

Frowning somewhat, Shinobu cocked her head to the side before asking, "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that the only way to get Naru and Motoko to back off would be for Kei-kun to stand up to them," Haruka explained, completely serious. "He has to stop letting them victimize him, let them know that he won't tolerate it."

"But...how can he do that?" Shinobu wondered, thinking of the women in question. Wondering how anybody could stand up to a woman who could launch a grown man into Low Earth Orbit with a single punch, or one who decimate a giant mechanical monster with a single stroke of her sword.

"I have a few ideas on that," Haruka stated, giving her a playful smile before taking another drag of her cigarette. "Believe it or not, I know a few things about self-defense that would do wonders for Kei-kun."

Her eyes widening at this, Shinobu asked, "Really? But - then why don't you...?"

"I already offered him lessons, Shinobu. The problem is he won't accept them." When the young chef's mouth popped open, Haruka sighed and explained, "Keitaro's all about trying to get into Tokyo-U, remember? When he's not busy at the Inn, he's working his butt off studying for the entrance exams. And in his mind, martial-arts lessons are something he doesn't have time for." A fond smile curling her lips, the elder Urashima looked up at the Hinata Inn. "He's willing to go through all that suffering, just for the sake of a promise he made a long time ago..."

* * *

><p>"Ugh..." Keitaro groaned as he sat at his desk in his room, trying to enjoy a little peace and quiet as he studied for his next entrance exam, all the while enjoying a late lunch in the form of the takeout dinner he had been too exhausted to eat the previous night. "Let's see...trader ships first arrived with guns in the Feudal Era, during the time of...who was it again...Nobunaga?"<p>

Sighing as he tried to keep all these historical figures straight in his mind, Keitaro took another bite from his reheated meal when someone started pounding on his door. "Keitaro?" Naru called out. Even as a chill ran down his spine, leaving him to wonder what he could have possibly done wrong this time, the long-haired beauty continued, "Something's wrong in my apartment! I don't have any hot water!"

"Huh? Really?" Keitaro started, taken by surprise.

"Yes, really!" Naru replied with some of her typical impatience. "Could you call a plumber or someone to get it fixed?"

Keitaro groaned at this suggestion. The Hinata Inn's finances were always tight, especially with Kitsune always doing whatever she could to wriggle out of paying her rent, month after month. And with all the damage the place took as a result of its rambunctious tenants, just about everything was in constant need of repair. The last thing he wanted was to have to pay for a plumber to come out, especially if the problem turned out to be a minor one. "Uh...I'd rather look at it myself, first," he hesitantly informed her as he got to his feet. "I mean, you know how expensive a plumber - aw, _nuts!"_

"Take a look at it yourself?" Naru repeated incredulously as Keitaro groaned. In his hurry to get up, he had accidentally spilled some lukewarm coffee on his shirt, and now had a large brown stain on it. "Are you crazy? Why on earth do you think I'd ever let a pervert like you go poking his nose around in _my _room?"

Groaning as Naru once again invoked the pervert defense, Keitaro quickly shucked his shirt. "But...Naru, plumbers are expensive!" he protested as he darted into his bathroom. Hurriedly applying a stain remover, he then dumped the soiled shirt into the hamper. "Besides, you remember what happened the _last _time we had one out here!"

"I know, I know! But it's not my fault!" Naru protested as Keitaro went to his closet to retrieve a fresh shirt. "That guy tried to grab me! I was just defending myself!"

"You put him through a _wall, _Naru! We're lucky he didn't sue us!" Keitaro countered as he started slipping the shirt on. "Not everybody can take as much punishment as _I _can!"

"He had it coming, you jerk!" Naru declared as Keitaro made his way towards the door. "Just call a plumber and make sure they send a _woman _this time!"

Groaning as he struggled to get his shirt on straight, Keitaro replied, "Look, I'm just saying that I'd rather not spend the money on a plumber unless it's absolutely necessary! Just let me take a quick look, see if I can -!"

"And _I _said _no,_ you -!" Naru snarled as she flung Keitaro's door open. Only for her furious visage to fall in confusion as she looked at him with his shirt hanging open. "Keitaro...!"

"Uh...!" Keitaro groaned even as Naru's features twisted with sudden rage. "No, wait -!"

"Keitaro, _you pervert!"_ Naru screeched before sending her fist right into his fast. Sending him flying up through the wall of his apartment, his seemingly indestructible body still smarting at the sensation of being smashed through wood and concrete.

_Great. _More _repair work,_ Keitaro groaned inwardly as he tumbled through the air. This _is why we don't have money to spend on plumbers..._

* * *

><p>As Naru watched Keitaro tumble uncontrollably through the air, she was startled by an unexpected voice from behind. "What's all the ruckus?" came Kitsune's voice, prompting the irate female to turn and look at the foxy woman. "What the heck just happened?"<p>

"Oh, nothing!" Naru sneered, folding her arms across her chest. "Just the pervert coming up with excuses to sneak into my room so he can snoop around, that's all! What _else _is new?"

"So you sent him flying?" When Naru nodded, Kitsune groaned and brought her hand to her temples. "Aw, great! Looks like we're gonna have to deal with Kaolla on our own!"

"Kaolla?" Naru frowned perplexedly. "Does this have to do with this weird project of hers?"

"Don't I wish!" Kitsune groaned wearily. "She's running a systems diagnostic on her lab's computers, so while that's going on, she's planning on passing the time by testing out some new Mecha-Tama she's cooked up!"

Furrowing her brows, Naru asked, "So? What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that these are new _attack_ Mecha-Tama!" Kitsune explained, her voice rife with concern. "She's got them loaded with machine guns, missile launchers, the _works!"_

Realizing what Kitsune was concerned about, Naru groaned heavily. "So, naturally, she's looking for something to blow up."

"Got it in one, sugah!" Kitsune confirmed. "And with the kinda firepower those things are packing, if even one of them were to go haywire -!"

"Great! Figures the pervert would take off at a time like this!" Naru grumbled disgustedly. "Where's Kaolla, anyway?"

"Out near the parking lot!" Kitsune informed her. "She's got about twenty of those darned things out there, ready and waiting to turn _something_ into a pile of rubble!"

"Oh, wonderful!" Naru spat irritably. "C'mon, let's see if we can stop her from at least using the Inn for target practice!"

"I heard that!" Kitsune replied, and as one, the two women darted down the hall, hoping to spare their home further mayhem.

* * *

><p><em>"Waaaaaaaa!"<em> came a voice raised in pain and fear. A voice that Haruka immediately recognized, and had her groaning in dismay.

Shinobu clearly recognized it as well, and reacted by turning about and looking out the window towards the Hinata Inn. "Oh, no..." she moaned as she watched a human figure tumble uncontrollably through the air. "Sempai!"

"Great," Haruka groaned, having seen this sight more times than she cared to remember. The shock value of seeing her nephew flying through the air having worn away enough so that all she could do was mutter, "What is he supposed to have done _this..._?"

Her words trailing off, Haruka frowned even more as she studied her nephew's flight. Even now, the out-of-control figure was beginning its descent, rapidly growing larger. Realizing what this meant, the cafe owner swore beneath her breath before crying out, "Everybody, get back! He's coming this -!"

Haruka didn't have time to finish her warning. All she had time to do was to jump backwards before Keitaro slammed through one of the support beams of the Hinata Cafe, sending chunks of wood flying in every direction. Cries of pain pierced the air as the seemingly indestructible young man crashed to floor, and to Haruka's horror, bowled over the dumbstruck Shinobu.

The blue-hair girl didn't have time to so much as scream before Keitaro's out-of-control spin sent them both tumbling across the floor, thankfully avoiding any further impacts. But that didn't stop Haruka from panicking as the two of them tumbled across the floor, with Keitaro coming to a halt first, already stirring and attempting to regain himself. While Shinobu cried out in agony.

"Oh, my god...!" Haruka gasped in horror as Shinobu writhed about on the ground. "Are you alright?"

"Ugh..." Keitaro groaned, giving a quick shake of his head. "I'm okay, Aunt Haruka. I just..."

"I wasn't talking to you!" Haruka cried out, wishing she could spare a moment to give Keitaro a whack in the face for calling her 'aunt'. "You crashed into Shinobu when you landed!"

"I - I _what?"_ Keitaro cried out as he took stock of the situation, his eyes bulging when he saw Shinobu in Haruka's arms, writhing about in pain. "Omigod, _no!"_ Heedless of the staring crowd, he scrambled to his feet, very nearly crashing to the floor again as he propelled himself over to the battered girl's side. "Shinobu...Shinobu, are you alright?"

Stifling the urge to demand how she could be alright after suffering an impact such as that, Haruka focused on the humanly fragile girl that she was no cradling in her arms. "Shinobu...can you hear me?" she asked tenderly as she looked at the girl with her eyes screwed shut, her arms wrapped about her slender frame. "Talk to me, please!"

Groaning and whimpering in sheer agony, her breaths coming in clipped gaps, Shinobu slowly turned about in Haruka's arms. "H-Haruka-s-san...!" she whimpered out, blood spilling out over her forearms from many tiny lacerations. "I-it hurts...!"

"I know, I know!" Haruka gently told her as Shinobu slowly opened her eyes. "Don't worry, we'll -!" Before she could complete her sentence, however, the blue-haired girl's eyes fully opened, caused the elder Urashima's tongue to fall flat in her mouth. Unable to fathom what she was seeing.

Instead of their cobalt blue, Shinobu's eyes were glowing a bright, sickly green.

Her grip on the tiny girl slackening, Haruka very nearly dropped her. But before that could happen, in an act of uncharacteristic grace and alacrity, Keitaro wrapped his arms about Shinobu and pulled her into his arms, her chin resting upon his shoulder. "Oh, Shinobu! I - I'm so sorry!" he babbled out, his voice choked with guilt and tearful relief. "I never meant - I - I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! I -!"

"S-sempai..." Shinobu got out, clearly surprised to suddenly be in Keitaro's embrace. But after a few moments, she slowly relaxed and returned the embrace, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Whatever she said so soft so as to be muffled by his body and her tears.

As she stood back and observed the two of them, Haruka frowned, the sight of Shinobu's eyes shining that horrible shade of green still vivid in her mind. And after everything she had been through, even before the Hinata Inn became so well known for the insanity that occurred there, she was not quick to dismiss this as a trick of her eyes. And so she carefully moved around her nephew and the battered girl he held, positioning herself to get another look at Shinobu's eyes.

However, even as she positioned herself to look, she was thwarted when Keitaro rose up. "Aunt Haruka!" he blurted out, his face creased with worry. "Do you have a medical kit?"

Taken aback by this bold declaration, completely forgetting her usual impulse strike her nephew for referring to her as 'aunt', Haruka frowned before replying, "I've got one in my bathroom." Nodding to this, Keitaro turned and started past the cashier's counter, doubtlessly heading for the door that connected the Hinata cafe to Haruka's home. As he did so, Shinobu's face was fully exposed to the matronly Urashima, giving her a look at the blue-haired girl's tearful eyes.

The hideous green that Haruka had seen before was gone. Instead, Shinobu's eyes were their usual dark blue.

Letting out a relieved sigh at this, Haruka took a moment to kick herself for letting her imagination get the better of her before focus on the immediate situation. "Alright, people," she announced, looking about at the people that were still present. "Given the current situation, we're closing early today. So please, finish your orders as quickly as possible so we can start cleaning up and effecting repairs." Not waiting to see if anyone protested this announcement, she then went to the young man presently manning the cash register. "As soon as everybody's gone, take down the sign and start cleaning things up. We'll need to start on the repairs as soon as possible."

"Yes, ma'am," the waiter answered with a polite bow.

Satisfied that he'd do his job, Haruka started after Keitaro and Shinobu, her thoughts shifting to the girl who was doubtlessly responsible for what had just happened. _Alright, Naru. this is the last straw,_ she thought, picturing the girl who could have easily been killed that day. _You're not going to be getting away with this sort of behavior. Not after today!_

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: I was thinking of writing more for this chapter, but it was getting pretty crowded as is, and I think it's pretty obvious what we're building up to here. Still, I hope you will all read and review, and maybe check out some of my other stories, too?<p>

Hektols, if Keitaro had gone instead of Shinobu, I get the feeling things would have been a whole lot uglier than they were. And yup, about the only sane women at the Hinata Inn would be Shinobu and Haruka.

RaptorIV, Shinobu definitely deserves much better than she got. And indeed, the age difference doesn't bother me either. Not to mention that's about the only girl at the Hinata Inn that treats Keitaro as something other than a therapy bag or someone to mooch off of.

Wonderbee31, I think you just got a very large hint as to what's going to happen to Shinobu in the very near future. And by near future, I mean the next chapter.

MAS, as you likely gathered from what happened this chapter, the goop isn't going to make Shinobu older. But I do have some very fun plans for getting her and Keitaro together. And I do agree that the two of them would make a cute couple.

animefan29, you'll have to wait and see what happens in the next chapter. Because that's when the _real _fun begins!

Vassman, you are not the only one who eagerly anticipates Naru being on the receiving end of some of the abuse she dishes out. And in my opinion, just about any girl short of Sarah would have been a better catch for Keitaro. I'm also glad that you enjoyed the previous chapter and how Shinobu stood up for Keitaro. I just hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.


	4. Shinobu's Breaking Point

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 4: Shinobu's Breaking Point

Wincing as Shinobu issued a muted hiss of pain, Keitaro looked up from the injuries that he was in the process of dressing with medicine. "I'm sorry, Shinobu," he gently told her. "It doesn't sting too much, does it?"

Blinking a few times, Shinobu promptly started shaking her head. "No, no, sempai! It's okay," she assured him. "It's not too bad now."

Heaving a deep breath, Keitaro returned his attention to many bruises and lacerations that marked the young chef's body. "Still, I...I'm really sorry about what happened," he commented as he continued to apply medicine to the many injuries he had accidentally inflicted on her. "I...this is my fault, I..."

"Don't say that, sempai," Shinobu pleaded of him, almost impossibly cute as she did so. "Naru was the one who hit you."

"Yeah, but..." Keitaro sighed, giving a slow shake of his head as he thought back to what happened. "If only I'd have...done something different, I..."

"Sempai, please! Don't blame yourself for this!" Shinobu insisted morosely. "This isn't your fault! Really, it's -!"

"Yes, it is," came another voice. As one, Keitaro and Shinobu turned about to see Haruka standing a short distance away, a heavy scowl on her face. "This is whole mess is your fault, Keitaro." Then she lowered her eyes somewhat, the cigarette that was perpetually dangling from her lips seeming to droop. "And to be honest, it's my fault as well."

"Aunt Haruka, what are you -?" Keitaro started, only to find her fist buried in his face.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Aunt'?" Haruka demanded with more than a hint of annoyance. "Now hurry up and finish bandaging Shinobu up. Because it's high time we settled this mess, Keitaro. This whole situation has gone too far."

Quailing at the tone in his aunt's voice, Keitaro nervously gulped before answering, "Uh, sure Au-, I mean, Haruka." With that, he returned to treating Shinobu's injuries, while the blue-haired girl sat back, barely moving as he finished applying the medicine and properly bandaging her wounds.

As soon as this was done, Keitaro sighed and examined his handiwork. "So...how does that feel, Shinobu? Any better?"

Nodding eagerly, Shinobu answered, "Much better, sempai. Thank you."

"Good," Haruka declared, invoking the voice of authority that the perpetual ronin was so familiar with. "And now that that's taken care of..."

Turning to see his aunt gesturing for him to approach, Keitaro let out a low sigh that made it clear that he was resigned to his fate. "Uh..." Shinobu started, looking nervously between the two of them, "do you want me to come, or..."

"You just sit there and try to rest, Shinobu," Haruka instructed her. "What I have to say won't take too long."

With that, Haruka turned and started towards the next room. Leaving Keitaro to sigh in resignation once again before saying, "That's right, Shinobu. You just sit back and relax for a little bit." Forcing a smile for her sake, he then added, "Then we go back to the Inn a bit later, and you can go relax in your own room for a while. Okay?"

A beat passed before Shinobu nodded. "O-okay, sempai."

His smiling becoming more genuine, Keitaro then turned and started towards the next room. As soon as he had entered, Haruka closed the door behind him. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

"You actually have to _ask?"_ Haruka incredulously demanded. "Kei-kun, you're family, and I love you and all, but you're still one of the dumbest human beings on the face of the planet!"

Recoiling at the sound of her voice, getting the bad feeling that he would soon leaving at least one or two holes shaped like himself in Haruka's walls, Keitaro nervously responded, "But - Haruka, I'm sorry! I didn't mean - Naru just walked in, and -!"

"And she decided that you were doing something stupid and punched you for it. The same way she always does," Haruka gathered, her arms folded across her chest. "And _that_, Keitaro, is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about. Because we've both let this situation go on for far too long now!"

"I'm sorry, really!" Keitaro immediately protested. "I don't mean to make them mad or anything, but - _ouch!"_

As Keitaro was groaning as a result of having his aunt's knuckles thoroughly embedded in his face, Haruka declared, "That's not what I meant, you idiot!" Letting her fist fall back to her side, the young manager put his hands to his brutalized nose, inspecting the damage, while Haruka went on to mutter, "I meant that we both have been letting those girls get away with this behavior for far too long. And that it has to stop. Starting right now!"

Taken aback by this vehement declaration, Keitaro hesitated before nervously replying, "But - Haruka, really! It's all my fault, anyway, and -!"

"Oh, it's your fault, alright. For not putting your foot down and standing up to Naru and the others. For letting them get away with doing whatever they want. And most of all, for letting them convince you that you're the blame for everything that happens around here, and taking whatever punishments they dole out!" Staggered again by the force in her voice, Keitaro could only stand there, Haruka's angry visage filling his vision. "They have turned you into their personal doormat, to step on and exploit in any way they want, and you have let them get away with it!"

"But - Haruka, what am I supposed to do?" Keitaro demanded incredulously. "I can't evict them! They're the only tenants we have! And if I tried that, then -!"

"Evicting them isn't your only option, Keitaro! Something you'd see if you weren't focused solely on getting in close to one of them in particular!" Haruka snapped back. "Honestly, Naru has battered and abused and belittled you every chance she's gotten, and all you want to do is get close to her! You've let yourself become a therapy bag for her and Motoko, Kitsune's personal piggy bank, and Kaolla's target, just for a woman who has gone out of her way to make your life miserable!"

Stung by this, Keitaro could only stand there in helpless silence, mainly because he knew his aunt had a valid point. Despite his many overtures to Naru, she had never once returned his affections with anything save for brutality and scorn. "But -!"

"Don't talk, Keitaro! Just listen!" Haruka declared, shutting whatever words he had left to speak in his mouth. "You know...for a long time, I basically kept quiet about all this. I sat back and watched and waited as you tried to handle things here yourself. And do you want to know why I did that?" A beat passed with Keitaro wondering if he should say anything before she continued despite him. "I did it because I honestly thought that you had to handle things yourself. That you were the one who had to learn to stand up to them. To decide that you were only going to take so much."

Shaking her head at this, Haruka sighed heavily. "I figured that it was only a matter of time before that happened. That no human being could take the kind of treatment those girls doled out to you on a daily basis indefinitely. And sooner or later, you would lay down the law or decide that this wasn't worth it. That would you finally decide to stand up for yourself." Then she narrowed her eyes in a disdainful manner. "Instead, you let yourself become more and more a victim of them. And for what?"

"But -!" Keitaro began to protest.

"And now look what's happened! Shinobu's in there, hurt because you kept letting those girls get away with whatever they wanted!" Her features tensing with ever-increasing anger, Haruka then declared, "I've stayed out of this because, up until now, no one has been seriously injured. But the next time something like this happens, we might not be so lucky. Someone could wind up crippled, possibly even killed."

His mouth popping open, Keitaro then lowered his eyes in shame, for the fact was that Haruka was correct. For as indestructible as he seemed to be, he was painfully aware that the rest of humanity did not share his durability. Just about anyone else would have been killed several times over as a result of the kind of things the girls of the Hinata Inn subjected him to. _In a way, I guess we're lucky that something like this hasn't happened before,_ he thought, thinking of the number of times he had picked himself out of the sidewalk or out of a building, surrounding by people gaping at him in astonishment. _But...she's right. Shinobu was hurt...but..._

"But...what am I supposed to do? They won't listen to anything I say!" Keitaro protested lamely. "And if I try and do anything to stop them, it'll just make things worse!"

"Then we're just going to have to make it _very _clear that this sort of behavior will no longer be tolerated," Haruka declared. "And we're going to do that right now."

Getting a very bad feeling about all this, Keitaro gulped loudly. "Now?"

"Now," Haruka confirmed. "I'm going to take Shinobu back up to the Inn, and show those girls the results of their handiwork. After I leave, I want you to wait five minutes before following."

"What?" Keitaro repeated blankly. "But...why do it that way? Why don't we just go toge- _ouch!"_

Again, Keitaro's nose was mashed into putty. As the sound of cartilage snapping filled his ears, Haruka withdrew her fist and declared, "Because if those girls see me bringing you and Shinobu back at the same time, they'll decide that what happened to her is all your fault and beat you up for it. And then I'll have to wait for you to come back from wherever they'd send you flying off to before we could set them straight." As Keitaro paused to again inspect the damage, his aunt took a step forward and glowered at him. "And mark my words, we _are_ going to set them straight. The instant somebody got hurt was the instant my tolerance for your letting those girls go unchecked came to an end. Got that?"

_I got it, alright,_ Keitaro groaned inwardly, already feeling the violence that his highly durable form would soon be subjected to. _I also know that there's no way this is gonna end well. No matter what happens, they're still not gonna listen, it's still all gonna be my fault, and I'm gonna get beaten up. Again..._

* * *

><p>"Uh, Haruka-san, you really don't have to do this," Shinobu murmured nervously, feeling incredibly awkward. "Really, I can walk back on my own."<p>

"Not a chance, Shinobu," Haruka immediately countered as she shifted the blue-haired girl about on her back, making certain that there was no danger of her falling. "You could've gotten killed today. I'm not gonna sit back and watch you make your injuries even worse."

"But..." Shinobu protested, more than a little embarrassed. "Are you sure...I'm not too heavy?"

"Hey, you're like a twig! Trust me, I can make it up those stairs carrying three of you!" Haruka assured her. Then she turned and fixed Keitaro with her glare. "Now, remember! Once I'm out of sight, wait five minutes before following! That'll give me time to round up those lunatics so we can deal with them!" Then she narrowed her eyes before adding, "And you better believe it when I say that _we _will be dealing with them! Got that?"

A beat passed before Keitaro sighed and nodded. "Okay, Au- I mean, Haruka. Five minutes."

"Good," Haruka nodded. Then she glanced back at the girl hanging about her shoulders. "Okay, now hold on, Shinobu. I'll try and take it nice and slow, okay?" Nodding to this, the blue-haired girl tightened her grip somewhat as the older woman started forward. "Here we go, then."

As the two of them left the Hinata Cafe behind, Shinobu sighed lowly in dismay. _They're not gonna listen,_ she couldn't help but think. _They never listen to sempai. And if Haruka gets mad at them, they'll just blame him for it._

On the one hand, Shinobu knew that the Urashima woman had a valid point. The way the tenants of the Hinata Inn treated Keitaro was worse than deplorable, and their excessively aggressive tendencies could very likely result in someone getting killed. She was painfully aware that, if the perpetually ronin wasn't superhumanly durable, he'd have been killed long before now. And she knew that ignoring the situation wasn't going to make things better. Her parents' divorce and constant arguing had left her stranded in an abominable situation, one that she had only escaped when she had confronted them, and started making her own decisions.

_But that would never have worked if my parents hadn't finally listened to me, and even then, if sempai hadn't offered me a chance to work here, if they hadn't trusted him, then I'd still be trapped!_ Shinobu knew, the thought of again living with the perpetual shouting match, as little more than a prize in their ugly battles making her shudder. _But what can you do when the people you're dealing with won't listen to you? When two of them can destroy you without even half-thinking about it?_

No matter how Shinobu looked at it, she couldn't see how this could work out. Despite being the owner and manager of the Hinata Inn, Keitaro was in no position to deal with the tenants. If he even attempted to evict them or punish them for their transgressions, it was all too easy to see them reacting to this the way they reacted to every seeming offense on his part; with violence. _And if they react that way to accidents...I don't even want to think about what they would do if he threatened to kick them out! They send him flying just by hitting him! If they decided that they _really _wanted to hurt him..._

As the possible consequences of such a development danced in Shinobu's mind, each image her imagination conjured up worse than the one before, she clung even more tightly to Haruka. _If only sempai had strength to go along with being basically indestructible...if only he could defend himself from them, not just take everything they hit him with...if..._

"Well, here we are," Haruka suddenly announced, snapping the young chef out of her thoughts. "Listen, Shinobu, I hope you don't mind, but...I'm going to need my hands here. So I'm going to have to let you down for a minute. Okay?"

"Okay," Shinobu immediately agreed, already loosening her grip on Haruka's shoulders. As soon as she once again had her feet on the ground, she winced somewhat, her battered legs buckling somewhat before she was able to force them to hold her weight.

Hoping that Haruka didn't see how close she had come to falling, Shinobu stood by and waited as the Urashima woman opened the main doors of the Hinata Inn and entered. Following without being asked, the blue-haired girl moved very carefully, every move she made causing fresh agony to assail her even as the two of them made their way to the main living room. "Okay, Shinobu, you sit down here and rest," Haruka declared, gesturing at the empty couch. "I'll go track down the other girls and tell them to come here."

Nodding to this, Shinobu reluctantly made her way over to the couch and sat down. As further barbs of pain stung at her, she sighed lowly. _I wish I could feel more confident about this, but I can't help but feel that this is gonna end badly..._

* * *

><p>"Kaolla, what the heck do you think you're doing?" Naru demanded.<p>

"Oh! Hello, Naru!" Kaolla responded, waving happily as she sat cross-legged upon one of her Mecha-Tama. Just one of at least twenty of the hovering, turtle-like robots that were currently occupying the parking lot, each and every one of them packing more firepower than a tank or fighter jet. "Did you come to see my new Mecha-Tama in action?"

Disregarding this question, Naru groaned despairingly as she folded her arms before her chest. "Kaolla, how many times do we have to tell you? We don't want you playing with missiles and guns outside of your lab!"

"That's right, sugah!" Kitsune seconded. "Even Granny Hina didn't like it went you started marching those kinds of things around the Inn!"

"I knows, I knows! But really, it's no biggie!" Kaolla assured them. "It's not like I'm going to be aiming at the Inn, right?"

"We didn't say you were, but Kaolla, what if something goes wrong?" Naru persisted, hoping to talk at least a modicum of sense into the eager foreigner. "Don't you remember what happened the _last _time you started playing with missiles?"

"Aw, but it was no big deal! They were planning on tearing down the old train station, anyways!" Kaolla protested in her typically cheerful manner. "And nobody ever found out that we were the ones who did it, so it's not like Granny Hina ever got in trouble! She even forgave me and everything!"

"We know that, sugah! But you can't count on luck to always keep ya outta trouble!" Kitsune admonished.

Raising an eyebrow at such words coming out of Kitsune's mouth, Naru then focused on the situation at hand. "She's right, Kaolla! Seriously, if you have to go around playing with these things, at least do it where those no chance of hitting something important!" she pleaded, despite the mounting suspicion that it would do her no good. "If something were to go wrong, somebody might get hurt!"

Groaning in dismay as she wore an air of wounded pout, Kaolla protested, "Relax! It's not like that'll actually happen! These new Mecha-Tama are foolproof!"

"But, Kaolla -!" Naru began to protest, only to cut herself off when Kaolla turned and started fiddling with the remote control device in her hands.

"Here! I'll show you!" Kaolla went on, utterly oblivious to anything else. "Let's see...I think I'll blow up those rocks and stuff up there!"

"And maybe cause a landslide in the process? Forget it!" Naru countered. Realizing that there would be no dissuading the exuberant genius with common sense, she darted up to her and grabbed hold of the remote. "Here! Hand that over before you get us all killed!"

"Waaa! No! What are you doing?" Kaolla shrieked in dismay even as she struggled to keep her grip on the device. "I'm just having a little harmless fun!"

"There's nothing _harmless_ about ballistic missiles!" Naru protested, yanking with all her strength. "Kaolla, please, be reasonable! Hand it over before you wind up blowing one of us to pieces!"

"But Naru -!" Kaolla whined, cutting herself off when the temperamental woman succeeded in wrenching the control device from her grasp. As the Molmol girl cried out in dismay, she was joined by Naru herself as she tottered off-balance. Having been using her full strength to pry the remote control out of Kaolla's hands, she was unprepared for going from maximum resistance to no resistance at all.

"Naru, watch out!" Kitsune cried out as she continued to stumble backwards. Unsure what the foxy woman meant, Naru was brought up short when she backed into one of the many Mecha-Tama that littered the parking lot. Letting out a squawk of surprise, she fell upon the turtle-like robot, the remote control falling from her hand in the process.

"No! The remote!" Kaolla howled, leaping from the Mecha-Tama she had been on. But before any of them could do anything, the controller for the numerous robots crashed to the ground, landing on the many buttons and control levers.

"Oopsies!" Kaolla cried out in dismay. Dismay that was deepened when the eyes of each and every Mecha-Tama lit up with a deep crimson.

"Uh-oh...!" Naru groaned even as she recovered. The Mecha-Tama she had stumbled against darting off to her side, even as another rushed past her.

"Oh, great!" Kitsune cried out as she moved to avoid the crazed robots. _"This _is why we don't want ya playing with armed robots, Kaolla!"

"It's not my fault! _Naru's_ the one who wouldn't let me blow anything up!" Kaolla whined in protest.

"Just hurry up and shut these stupid things down!" Naru demanded as she bobbed and weaved between the rampant mecha.

"I can't! Not without the control!" Kaolla cried out.

"Great! Just _perfect!"_ Kitsune spat out. "Then let's get the darn thing before these things -!"

As if some deity whose sole purpose in life was having a laugh at the expense of people stupid enough to say such things was listening in, a missile launched from one of the Mecha-Tamas. And was quickly followed by another. And then several more.

"Aw, _dammit!"_ Kitsune cried out in dismay as she fell to the ground and curled up in a ball, even as one of the missiles blasted out one of the walls of the Inn.

"Wee! Look at them go!" Kaolla cried out in delight, watching as a couple missiles landed in the parking lot, sending chunks of debris. "This is so exciting!"

Paying no heed to childish delight displayed by her young friend, Naru fell on her hands and knees and started crawling towards remote control. _Blast it all, Keitaro! This is all your fault! _she sneered inwardly as she made her way towards her objective. _When I find you, I'll beat you within an inch of your worthless life for disappearing like this!_

* * *

><p>"Motoko!" Haruka called out as she arrived on the terrace. As she had expected, the kendo practitioner was present, going about her daily katas.<p>

"Haruka-san," Motoko greeted her cordially before lowering her sword. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be tending the Cafe?"

"I was forced to close down early for the day," Haruka muttered sourly as she approached the heir-apparent of the Shinmei-ryu School of Martial Arts. "Listen, I need to talk to you and the other girls. Any idea where they are?"

Frowning somewhat at the tone of the Urashima woman's voice, Motoko then responded, "I believe Kaolla is in her lab working. As for the others, I don't know where they would be." The kendo practitioner's words deepening Haruka's scowl, Motoko frowned that much more. "Haruka-san, you seem troubled by something. What is it?"

"Oh, I'm troubled, alright!" Haruka decreed with a good deal of heat. "As for what it is, you'll find out along with the rest of the girls here...just as soon as I can find them."

Looking even more perplexed, and even a bit concerned, Motoko replied, "Would you like me to help you find them?"

"No. Just go down to the main living room and keep an eye on Shinobu," Haruka decreed with a voice of authority. "I'll track the others down, and -"

The sound like that of a firework being launched caused the remainder of Haruka's words to fall flat in her mind even as Motoko's eyes went wide with controlled alarm. As one, the two martial arts practitioners looked about, only to gasp at the sight of a missile streaking towards the terrace. Acting on pure instinct, they flung themselves out of its path, just barely getting clear before it struck home and exploded.

"I think we know where Kaolla is now," Motoko commented needlessly as they were both pelted with debris.

"You noticed that, huh?" Haruka growled furiously as more explosions were heard in the distance. "C'mon! Let's stop that little lunatic before she levels the entire place!"

* * *

><p><em>The five minutes are just about up now,<em> Shinobu noted unhappily as she looked at a nearby clock. Letting out a weary sigh, she glanced over at the door. _Sempai should be here soon...I wonder what's taking Haruka-san so long?_

Pressing her lips together, Shinobu couldn't ignore the way her anxiety grew. The longer it took for Haruka to get back, the more likely it was that something had gone wrong. And something going wrong more often than not ended in Keitaro being punished for things that weren't his fault. _As if things weren't bad enough already,_ she thought remorsefully. _I just hope Haruka-san gets back soon, before -_

The sound of a massive explosion shook the Hinata Inn, very nearly dumping Shinobu off the couch. Crying out in alarm, the blue-haired girl looked wildly about, trying to make sense of what was happening. _What was that? _she demanded as she forced herself to her feet. Wanting to be able to distance herself from whatever was happening if need be. _Is Kaolla setting off a bomb?_

As another blast shook the structure of the Inn, Shinobu considered what to do next. Whatever was happening was likely also responsible for Haruka being delayed. And more than likely, the rest of the Hinata residents were either close to whatever disaster was taking place, or presently en route to it. _I just hope Motoko or someone can handle it!_ the battered young girl thought warily as another explosion shook the Inn to its foundation. _The entire place feels likes its being shaken apart!_

Shuddering at this, Shinobu immediately forced herself to her feet. Before she could take appropriate action, she had to learn exactly what this threat was, and what direction it was coming from. Or at least, which direction it _wasn't _coming from, so she could get to a safer distance in case the Inn started falling down upon her, which was sounding like a distinct possibility.

_C'mon...get moving!_ Shinobu told herself as she started forward, her body aching in protest. _I've gotta get outta here...before something else happens!_

* * *

><p>Letting out a heavy sigh as the five minutes Haruka had instructed him to wait for had finally expired, Keitaro hesitantly exited his aunt's home, making certain to lock the door behind him. Looking up at waiting Hinata Inn, he groaned in resignation before starting up the looming flight of stairs. <em>Better not keep Aunt Haruka waiting,<em> he knew, moving at a reasonable pace. _She's probably got everybody together by now. I don't want to make things even worse by getting her mad at me._

Climbing up the stairs with all the enthusiasm of a man being marched to the gallows, Keitaro found himself slouching forward, his mind swimming with all the horrible ways this meeting Haruka was organizing could and likely would go wrong. With a mob of angry women beating him with an inch of his life being the end result of virtually each and every one of them.

_At least when I mess up on my own, I only get beat up by only one of them at a time!_ Keitaro thought miserably, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had truly fallen low if this was a bright side to his existence. _When Haruka starts yelling at them, it'll be _me _they'll be attacking! All at once!_

Not certain if even his seeming invulnerability could withstand such punishment and certain that he did not want to find out the hard way, Keitaro continued his march up to what was almost certain doom. Only to be snapped out of his dismal musings by the sound of an explosion.

_"Aaack!"_ Keitaro cried out in dismay, raising his arms up to shield himself as a plume of smoke erupted from the Hinata Inn. Followed by a second such plume, and then a third. "Oh, no! What _now?"_

Suspecting that he did not want to know the answer, Keitaro nonetheless started running up the steps as fast as his legs could carry him. For as frightened as he was of the girls that were his tenants, he could not in good conscience let them or the Inn that was his responsibility suffer.

* * *

><p>As Haruka darted out of the Hinata Inn, she was fully expecting the situation she was charging into to be completely ridiculous, dangerous, and incredibly stupid.<p>

She was not disappointed.

_"What on Earth are you people doing?"_ Haruka demanded, outraged by the sight of the utter madness that she found herself confronted with. A small army of Mecha-Tama were running about, firing missiles and machines guns, all seemingly at random. As the crazed mechanoids slowly demolished the Hinata Inn and its surrounding environs, Kitsune and Kaolla were moving frantically to remain out of their way, all the while Naru was crawling about on the ground, frequently shoved this way or that by one of the renegade robots. _"Kaolla...!"_

"It's not my fault, Haruka! Really!" Kaolla whined petulantly. "I was just looking for something to blow up, and Naru stole my remote control!"

Groaning in pain as her brain tried to process the unique form of insanity that Kaolla considered to be logical thinking, only to get a migraine in the process, Haruka pushed that matter to the side before demanding, "I don't care whose fault it is! Just shut those damned robots down! _Right now!"_

"I _can't!"_ Kaolla protested. "Naru lost the remote!"

"I _didn't _lose it! I dropped it, okay?" Naru shot back irritably.

"Where is it?" Motoko demanded, her normally bold voice shaken somewhat by the turtle-like mecha.

Standing up somewhat, Naru pointed towards the edge of the parking lot. "It's right over there! But -!"

Groaning even more as Naru ducked to avoid another missile, Haruka made a mental note to make sure that the repair bills came out of Kaolla's pocket before turning towards Motoko. "We have to get to that remote! Can you clear away some of those Mecha-Tama without destroying the remote in the process?"

"Of course," Motoko responded without hesitation.

Satisfied with this, Haruka cupped her hands to her mouth and called out, "Alright, you idiots! Get down on the ground and stay there!" Not waiting for them to respond, she looked at Motoko and added, "You clear a path for me, I'll go for the remote. Got that?"

"Understood," Motoko nodded even as she drew her sword. "Now! Secret Technique: Air-Splitting Sword!" With this cry, the kendo practitioner swung her trusted Shisui in a broad, horizontal arc, releasing a band of destructive power that swept through the area before them. The attack collided with several Mecha-Tama, knocking them backwards and sending them scurrying. And more importantly, revealing what had to be the remote control.

For once grateful for Motoko's skill with a blade, Haruka broke into a run, knowing that she didn't have long before the robots recovered and started getting in her way again. "Cover me!" she cried out, hoping that the kendo practitioner would be able to stifle her fear of turtles long enough to keep any incoming projectiles from interfering with her.

Motoko didn't respond directly, but the sound of her chi attacks was heard as she worked to fall any rogue missiles. All the while Haruka made her way closer to the object of her quest. Just as she was within a few meters of the remote, a Mecha-Tama shot into view, its machine guns blazing. Acting on pure instinct, the cafe owner flung herself to the ground and tucked into a roll, allowing the renegade robot to fly harmlessly overhead.

As soon as she was clear, Haruka forced herself back up to her feet, just enough to lunge for the precious device. Landing just within reach of it, she rolled onto her back and flipped the remote about so that she was looking at the many controls. "Kaolla!" she cried out over the sound of a couple more missiles being launched. "How do I shut these damned things off?"

"The big, green button!" Kaolla immediately replied. "It's on the side!"

After a moment of frantic searching, Haruka found the needed button and hit it as hard as she could. For a moment, she dreaded the possibility that the remote had been damaged in the fight, a dread that was almost immediately erased when the many Mecha-Tama fell silent, their weapons no longer firing as their engines powered down.

Letting out a low, disgusted groan as she looked about and slowly sat up, Haruka scanned the many robots that now littered the parking lot. "Alright, then," she grumbled as she got to her feet and started towards the lunatics in residence. "Could somebody explain to me why exactly you people decided to _blow up half the Inn?"_

"But I wasn't trying to blow up the Inn!" Kaolla protested, looking rather put out by the accusation. "Just some of the stuff around here!"

Blinking at the Molmol girl a few times, Haruka then placed her hand to her now-throbbing temples. Pausing to wonder not for the first time what had possessed Granny Hina to allow these lunatics sanctuary in this once peaceful Inn, she then handed the remote back to its owner. "Alright. Naru, Kitsune, Motoko? Head back to the Inn and go to the main living room. Kaolla? Get these robots back to your lab. As in right now."

"Aww!" Kaolla whined even as she accepted the control device. "But I wanted to blow up some more stuff!"

"You've _already_ blown up a whole _bunch _of stuff, in case you hadn't noticed!" Kitsune declared in a cross manner. "And that almost included _us!"_

"Right. You've already caused enough trouble for one day," Haruka concurred, invoking the voice of authority. "Besides, I have something very important that I want to talk to you about."

"What is it, Haruka?" Naru wondered, looking somewhat wary at the Urashima woman's voice.

"I'll tell you _after _Kaolla gets these robots out of sight!" Haruka declared with ever-increasing heat. "Now _move!"_ As the three older girls jumped somewhat, she then focused her glare on the Molmol girl. "That means you, too, Kaolla!"

"Awww...!" Kaolla groaned woefully. But despite her petulance, she quickly went to work reactivating the Mecha-Tama and getting them organized.

_I swear, how the hell does Keitaro put up with this?_ Haruka wondered not for the first time. _You'd think that even a masochist wouldn't want to put up with the kind of crap these girls dish out!_

Wondering if the many flights Naru and the others had sent Keitaro on had resulted in permanent brain damage or if he was just that stupid, Haruka scowled and continued to supervise Kaolla, unwilling to give her a chance to cause even more trouble. _That's right. Just get those stupid robots back where they belong, _she thought sourly as the Mecha-Tama started towards one of the doors. _And hope like crazy that nothing else -_

_"Keitaro!"_ came the raised, shrieking voice of Naru Narusegawa. One that froze Haruka in mid-thought and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. _"You miserable, disgusting, perverted monster!"_

_...happens. You'd think I'd know not to think stuff like that by now,_ Haruka concluded, pinching the bridge of her nose. _S_o_ what's that idiot supposed to have done _this _time?_

* * *

><p><em>Kaolla, what are you doing now?<em> Keitaro demanded inwardly as he reached the Hinata Inn. His face falling in horror at the sight of the blast craters and missile debris that lay strewn before the main entrance, even as additional missiles came raining down upon the girls' dorm. _As if this day wasn't bad enough?_

Not even wanting to think about how long it would take him to personal make right the mayhem being wreaked about the Inn, Keitaro continued forward, the sounds of destruction growing ever louder. As he was passing by the main entrance, the doors creaked open, and a tiny figure stumbled into view. "Sempai!" Shinobu cried out even as she staggered towards him. "Wh-what's happening?"

Freezing up as he looked at the blue-haired girl, Keitaro then pointed to the Inn. "Shinobu, no! Get back inside!" he ordered her. "I don't know what Kaolla's doing, but -!"

An instant later, time seemed to freeze as Keitaro's ears pricked at the piercing roar of a missile. A roar that was louder than those of the other explosives being launched with reckless abandon. His eyes widening with realization, he looked up to see a missile spiraling towards the two of them. Then time returned to normal speed, and the normally clumsy manager acted on pure instinct. Quickly grabbing up Shinobu, he then ran as fast as he could.

Moments later, the missile hit where they had been standing just seconds before, the resulting explosion lifting Keitaro up off his feet and sending the both of them flying. Cradling Shinobu as tightly to him as he could, the ronin closed his eyes and curled up even as he was sent tumbling across the ground. His seemingly invincible body soaking up the abuse with relatively little pain as they finally rolled to a stop.

Requiring a few seconds to recover, Keitaro grunted as he slowly opened his eyes to find himself lying on his side, with Shinobu's face right before his. Her expression somewhat dazed as her eyes flitted about. "Oh...s-sempai?" she eventually sputtered out. "A-are you alright?"

Blinking a few times at this, Keitaro then smiled and heaved a weary sigh. "Yeah, I'm fine," he responded as he propped himself up on one arm. "What about you? Did you get hurt?"

"Uh...no. No, I don't think so," Shinobu replied, wincing as she attempted to move herself. "But - what the -?"

"I don't know...but I think it's over now," Keitaro reported even as he glanced about the surroundings. He didn't see or hear any more missiles or explosions. "So let's get up and get inside before anything else goes wrong!"

"Uh...okay," Shinobu nodded before setting about trying to get to her feet.

"No, don't strain yourself!" Keitaro pleaded even as she tried to force her batter body to obey. "Here, let me help you." Looking up in surprise, Shinobu watched as the clumsy manager got up one knee. "Now, just lie still for a second, and -"

_"Keitaro!"_ shrilled a piercing voice, one that had both Keitaro and Shinobu freeze up, their eyes and mouths going wide with horror. _"You miserable, disgusting, perverted monster!"_

Quickly turning about, Keitaro felt his heart sink into the soles of his feet when he saw Naru standing a short distance away, virtually crackling with rage. "I always knew how revolting you could be," she spat out from between clenched teeth, raising a fist that had a vein bulging from it, "but I never once thought that you would sink _this _low!"

"Wha-?" Keitaro gaped, unable to fathom what she was talking about. "But - I didn't -!"

"Like hell you didn't, you monster!" Naru countered as she rushed up to him. Grabbing Keitaro by his shirt, she dragged him up to his feet, and plunged her fist right into his stomach. Gasping as the air was driven from his lungs, the hapless ronin was sent flying into the air and crashing into a tree.

* * *

><p>"Naru, <em>no!<em>" Shinobu cried out as Naru dashed after Keitaro. "Don't! _Stop it!"_

As always, Naru completely ignored Shinobu's pleading. Instead, she grabbed Keitaro's forearm with one hand, and with the other sent another devastating punch squarely into his jaw. The helpless manager was lifted up off his feet by the force of the blow, but Naru prevented him from going flying off. Yanking him back down to his knees, she fired another punch into his face. And another. And another.

"No, no! _Stop it!"_ Shinobu shrieked as she forced herself to her feet. Tears spilling from her eyes at the brutality she was witnessing.

"What the heck?" came a voice from behind, prompting Shinobu to turn and see Kitsune and Motoko approaching, with the foxy woman's eyes open with surprise. "Jeez, what's going on here?"

Shinobu opened her mouth to beg for them to help, to stop the brutal beating. But before she could even get a single word out, Naru shouted, "What happened is this filthy pervert attacked Shinobu!"

Blanching at this vicious accusation, Shinobu watched as Kitsune's mouth fell open in surprise, while Motoko's burned with anger. "What?"

"No, no, it's not like that!" Shinobu protested, waving her hands in negation even as Motoko plucked Shisui from its sheath. "Motoko, he -!"

"He had his hands all over her!" Naru broke in even as Keitaro incoherently tried to babble out a defense. "I mean, just look what he did to her!"

Shaking her head, trying to get out that Keitaro was in no way responsible for her current injuries, Shinobu sputtered helplessly as Motoko drew her blade. "Urashima, you worthless scum!" the kendo practitioner sneered as she charged forward. "I will make you suffer for this!"

"Be my guest!" Naru snarled, whipping the battered manager towards the wrathful swordsman. Crying out in terror, Keitaro spun through the air as Motoko swung her sword, slashing him across the back.

"No, don't! Please!" Shinobu pleaded even as Keitaro fell to the ground, his shirt torn open. Fortunately, whatever mechanism that allowed him to withstand such abuse was still doing its part; the skin beneath was still unblemished. But this only seemed to infuriate Motoko, who again slashed at Keitaro, sending him tumbling across the ground. "He didn't do anything!" she cried even as Naru picked him up again, just to deliver another punch. _"Please, you can't -!"_

_"What the hell is **this?"**_came an outraged voice, one that Shinobu immediately recognized and had swooning in relief.

"Haruka-san!" Shinobu cried out as she turned to see the Urashima woman marching towards Naru and Motoko.

"Would somebody mind telling me what you two are doing?" Haruka growled lowly.

"We're punishing this filthy pervert!" Motoko declared in a solemn manner.

"That's right! He attacked Shinobu!" Naru seconded vehemently. "He might be your nephew, but you still can't expect us to overlook something like that!"

Narrowing her eyes sharply, Haruka paused and glanced back at the blue-haired girl. "Shinobu? Is that what happened?"

"N-no! No! Of course not!" Shinobu babbled out desperately. "Sempai, he -!"

"Hey! What's happening?" came the exuberant voice of Kaolla. Looking about in surprise, Shinobu saw the Molmol girl perched on one of her Mecha-Tama, the rest of her robot army floating closeby. "Are we playing with Keitaro?"

"No! We're _pulverizing _this stupid pervert!" Naru declared.

"Oh! Does that mean I can send him flying?" Kaolla asked hopefully.

"What?" Shinobu yelped.

"Kaolla, don't you -!" Haruka began.

"Go right ahead!" Naru snarled before firing off another of her legendary punches. This time, she didn't bother holding on to Keitaro, and the unfortunate ronin was sent tumbling through the air.

"Now! Secret Technique: Air-Splitting Sword!" Motoko cried out as she slashed at the air, releasing a band of destruction that crashed into Keitaro, causing him to scream in even greater pain.

"You idiots!" Haruka tried again. "Stop -!"

"Hooray! It's playtime with Keitaro!" Kaolla grinned as she worked her remote control. "Whee!" As one, each of the Mecha-Tama launched a missile, which struck their helpless target with grim accuracy.

_"Noooo!"_ Shinobu screamed as Keitaro flew through the air towards the town proper, trailing plumes of smoke. "Stop it!" she persisted, tears now running down her face. "H-he didn't-!"

"Of course he did!" Naru spat. "You don't understand this kind of thing, Shinobu! But don't worry; we'll make sure that pervert never so much as lays a hand on you ever again!"

"Even if we have to remove his hands," Motoko added as she started down the stairs. "Let's go put an end to his vile ways!"

"No - don't you dare - get back here _this instant!"_ Haruka shouted as Naru and Motoko shot down the stairs. "Kaolla, don't you even think of -!"

"Yea! We're going to go play with Keitaro!" Kaolla shrieked giddily as she urged her army of automatons down the hill. "Faster, faster!"

Her jaw hanging limply as she watched the three destructive women give chase to Keitaro, it was all Shinobu could do not to collapse into a sobbing heap. "Dammit!" Haruka snarled as she glanced at the remaining girls. "Kitsune, get Shinobu inside. Stay here until I get back!"

"Sure thing!" Kitsune replied, snapping off a salute as she did.

"Haruka, I - I'm sorry!" Shinobu sputtered out miserably. "Keitaro, he didn't do anything! He -!"

"Don't worry, I know!" Haruka returned even as she started down the stairs herself. "Kitsune, keep an eye on things here!"

"Will do!" Kitsune replied, once again her playful self as she placed her hands on Shinobu's shoulders. "Now, c'mon! Let's get you inside already!"

"But - it wasn't sempai! Honestly!" Shinobu protested even as Kitsune ushered her towards the entrance. "I - one of the missiles, it almost hit me! He was just trying to help me!"

"Hey, I'm sure that's true! But good luck convincing Naru of that!" Kitsune commented as they started down the hall, closing the door behind them. "You know how she is. She thinks with her fists first, and her head last!"

"But - Kitsune, we have to do something!" Shinobu insisted with increasing guilt. Her mind already conjuring up things she could have done differently, could have said to dissuade the others. "Naru and the others...they'll kill sempai if they keep this up!"

"Kill him?" Kitsune repeated incredulously. "Shinobu, if we were talking about anybody else, I'd be with you wholeheartedly. But this is Keitaro here, remember? He's indestructible!"

"But - you saw the way they were going after him!" Shinobu protested, unable to fathom the lack of concern shown by Kitsune. "We have to do _something!"_

Pausing to consider the blue-haired girl, Kitsune shrugged and replied, "Doesn't seem to be much that we _can _do, sugah! You know how those gals get when they get all riled up! They don't listen to anything but their bad tempers!" As Shinobu again opened her mouth to protest, the foxy woman gave her slight hug. "Now, don't you fret here! Naru and the others will work off their anger, sooner or later, and then they'll all be back, no worse for wear! You'll see!" Giving her another hug, Kitsune seemed to wink before adding, "Now, do you need any help getting to your room?"

Her eyes falling to the floor with Kitsune's nonchalance, Shinobu wrapped her arm about her frame. "No...that's okay. I'll manage."

"You sure?" Kitsune wondered, raising an eyebrow at this. "You sure seem pretty banged up!" Then she frowned somewhat and asked, "Say...come to think of it, what happened to you, anyway? You got more bandages than a mummy on you!"

"I..." Shinobu started, only for her words to fall flat in her mouth. "I'd...rather not talk about it now. Okay?"

Clearly surprised by this, Kitsune again shrugged. "Well...okay. And...you're _sure _you don't need any help getting to your room?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Shinobu nodded wearily even as her brutalized form stung her in protest.

"Well...alright. If you say so," Kitsune said agreeably. "Tell you what. I'm gonna go back downstairs and grab me something to drink. You want anything?"

"No," Shinobu replied lowly. "Thank you, though."

"Hey, no problem!" Kitsune replied before starting away. "Now, if you need anything, you be sure to holler, okay?"

"Alright," Shinobu nodded limply in response.

"Alrighty, then! See you in a bit!" Kitsune smiled easily as she started away.

Watching as the foxy lady disappeared from view, Shinobu heaved a woeful sigh as she started forward. Her eyes on her own feet as she took step after painful step towards her room. Her thoughts disjointed and mired in pain, disbelief, and guilt as she flashed back to the horrific display of brutality given by the Hinata tenants. The very thing she had feared becoming reality right before her eyes.

_Why? Why do they keep doing this?_ Shinobu asked not for the first time, fresh tears rolling down her face. _Sempai never does anything to hurt them, and all they ever want to do is beat him up! _Unable to fathom this, to understand how someone could inflict such pain and suffering upon someone who had done nothing to deserve it, Shinobu continued her slow march forward. All her battered form could manage. _I...if only I could have done something to help him. I-if only..._

A flash of light caught Shinobu in the corner of her eye, causing her to gasp in surprise. Turning to look towards the source, she found herself gazing into a full-length mirror.

Confronted by her own reflection.

Confronted by a fragile, tattered wreck of a girl, her clothes worn and damaged just like her body was. Her arms and legs heavily bandaged, face and body bruised and battered.

A weak and frail girl that had stood by and watched as the man that had saved her life had been viciously assaulted...and done nothing.

_I tried...I tried to stop them..._

Keitaro's sketch book with her picture in it.

_Like hell you didn't, you monster!_ Naru screamed in Shinobu's mind, the sight of her pummeling Keitaro returning to her. Even as Shinobu pleaded for her to stop.

A girl who was still crying helplessly.

_I didn't mean for him..._

Keitaro spending time with Shinobu, offering her a chance to work at the Hinata Inn.

_What happened is this filthy pervert attacked Shinobu!_ Naru lied vehemently, her sick hatred for all men twisting her perceptions.

So weak and helpless that she couldn't move to defend Keitaro. Didn't do anything.

_I tried to get them to stop..._

Shinobu confronting her parents, inspired by Keitaro to make her own choices. To stand up for herself, and even make friends.

_Urashima, you worthless scum!_ Motoko spat as she charged Keitaro with her sword.

Her tears coming even faster.

_I wanted them to stop..._

Keitaro walking up the stairs of the Hinata Inn, exhausted after returning from being sent flying by Naru. And still managing a smile for Shinobu's sake.

_We're punishing this filthy pervert!_ Motoko decreed.

Her teeth clenching as a choked sob escaped her lips.

_I don't want them to hurt sempai._

When Shinobu put herself at risk by volunteering to brave Kaolla's lab, Keitaro had immediately been concerned for her.

_That's right! He attacked Shinobu!_ Naru shrilled hatefully.

Her body quaking with shame and anguish.

_I want them to stop. Stop the attacks, the insults, everything._

Keitaro giving no protest when he volunteered to get dinner. Supporting the idea of giving Shinobu a day off.

_No! We're pulverizing this stupid pervert!_ Naru howled.

Her hands balling up into tiny fists.

_I want to be able to _make_ them stop._

Keitaro gently bandaging her wounds. Wracked with guilt about her injuries and his accidental role in causing them.

_Oh! Does that mean I can send him flying?_ Kaolla squealed hopefully.

Her fists shaking. Her teeth grinding.

_I...I..._

Keitaro saving her from being struck by Kaolla's missile. Only to be punished for his bravery.

_You don't understand this kind of thing, Shinobu! But don't worry; we'll make sure that pervert never so much as lays a hand on you ever again!_ Naru vowed, totally assured of the rightfulness of her hatred. So completely certain that she was...

_"I can't take it anymoooorrrre!"_ Shinobu shrieked, all the pain and guilt and frustration and hopelessness all mounding together into an explosion of rage that flooded her very being, causing her to raise her fists and smash them into the wall beside the mirror. Face-to-face with her reflection as it battered away at the wooden structure, feeling none of the pain she felt as she smashed against it, lost in the throes of her own tempestuous emotions.

_It's not fair it's not fair it's not faiiir!_ Shinobu shrieked inwardly, mindless of the pain as her sudden fury found outlet. _All they ever do is hurt sempai! They love to hurt him and bully him and I can't do anything about it because I -!_

A surge of pain like a red-hot poker being driven into her stomach caused Shinobu to double over. Letting out a pained gasp, she fell to her knees, catching herself with one arm even as she wrapped the other one about her abdomen. "Wh-what -?" she gasped out, all she could manage as a strange fog appeared and began washing over her mind. A fog that burned and stabbed at her mind even as more pains racked at her, spreading through her, causing her to convulse wildly. She wanted to scream, to cry out for help, but she couldn't. Her mind was already too overwhelmed, and body was no longer hers to command. All she could do was groan helplessly as she looked up at the mirror, and freeze at the girl reflected in it.

A girl that stared back at Shinobu with glowing, green irises.

As if seeing this was some kind of trigger, Shinobu's entire body convulsed, sending her face to the ground. As she tried to regain herself, her entire body seemed to throb, the pain shifting, changing into something else. And like the pain, her body similarly began to change. Her body slowly, inexorably began to expand, her muscles growing more developed and pronounced. Her bones began to crack and rebuild themselves, growing larger and sturdier. With each breath she took, her body pulsed and grew, already straining the shirt she wore beneath her hooded skirt.

As Shinobu braced herself up one arm, the lengthy white bandages that Keitaro had wrapped about her limbs strained audibly. One by one, lengths of medicinal cloth gave way before her burgeoning flesh, tearing and breaking. The wounds they once concealed even as they started to fall away. Her shirt and hooded skirt became ever more taut, the leather of her shoes warping as her feet pressed even more firmly against their interiors.

Convulsing as her body continued to change, Shinobu was peripherally aware of the cuffs of her shirt slid up her arms, retreating from her wrists and moving up to the middle of her expanding forearms. Strained by her burgeoning musculature, the cuffs began to split along the seams. Further tears appeared as her biceps and shoulders swelled up, the sound of ripping fabric punctuating her many gasps and moans.

Scrabbling about as she tried to regain herself, Shinobu felt her legs growing as well. Layer after layer of steely muscle appeared, giving her legs greater shape and definition, her hooded skirt riding up her thighs until they snagged on her increasingly shapely buttocks. It creaked and strained against her body, tearing along her hips as her skin slowly shifted color, turning a sickly yellow, then a sickly chartreuse before graduating to a bright emerald green.

Her hair was growing with the rest of her, Shinobu's formerly short-trimmed hair become longer and wilder, spilling down across her back as her hooded skirt split down along her spine. Her socks were forced down to her ankles as her legs continued to lengthen expand. Her feet pressed hard against the interior of shoes, finally breaking apart the leather constraints and splitting them open, allowing her toes to emerge and rip free of the fabric that still concealed them. With each breath she took, mounds of firm, supple flesh expanded from her chest, pressing firmly against her shirt and hood skirt.

The fog that was overwhelming her mind continued to thicken, distorting her thoughts and burning away at the walls that kept many of Shinobu's thoughts and emotions at bay. All the anger she kept deep inside, safe and hidden where it wouldn't hurt anyone the way she had seen the anger of others hurt people and destroy relationships, all the repressed desires and secret fantasies she kept to herself exploded forth just as her burgeoning body exploded free from the top of her hooded skirt, her chest and shoulders bursting through the garment, leaving only the bottom half even partly intact.

Strange guttural noises escaping her lips, Shinobu felt her body tensing, a deep warmth rushing through her as a final surge of growth tore through. The collar of her shirt exploded as she growled, the tearing cascading down her front to reveal a formidable cleavage. As she finally managed to force herself to her knees, the flexing and uncurling of her arms shredded the sleeves of her shirt, reducing them to mere tatters that fell limply to the ground. And as she fought to rise up, her tattered shoes fell apart, the many pieces tumbling off her feet as she stood, sucking in a deep breath as she took in the new being that stood in the mirror.

The tattered remains of Shinobu's clothes hung about her, tearing a bit more with every move she made, covering just enough of her for modesty's sake, but leaving nothing to the imagination. Breasts even larger than Naru's continued to strain against the remains of her shirt, while muscles that would be the envy of any woman bodybuilder coiled and bulged. Shapely legs stretched out to their full length, as she gave a wild shake of her head that sent her long hair whishing about. Her skin was an emerald green, and her hair was a much darker shade. The Shinobu Maehara that she had once been would likely have been horrified by what she saw.

But she was no longer that Shinobu Maehara.

The creature she now was felt none of Shinobu's hesitation or fear. None of the reluctance or uncertainty. She saw herself in the mirror, saw what she had become, and didn't care. All she cared about was the rage that had spawned her change, a rage that had grown in strength just as she had. Growling hatefully, she clenched her fists and raised them up above her head. _"Naruuuu!"_ she roared just before bashing her fists against the wall.

To her immense surprise, the wall and mirror exploded beneath her blow. An entire section of the wall was sent flying away in pieces, revealing the open area around the Hinata Inn.

The creature stood there in stunned silence, gaping at the damage she had unthinkingly done. Raising her hands up to her face, she studied them for a time, feeling no pain. Her injuries were all healed, and she had not caused herself further damage by shattering the wall. She looked at her hands, then looked back at the opening she had torn in the wall, looked out across the grounds of the Inn towards the town of Hinata.

Where Keitaro was likely still fleeing from his tormentors. Tormentors whose only joy in life was to bully and mistreat him, just as Shinobu had once been.

As these thoughts ran their course, the creature again looked at her hands and clenched them. Felt the ready power that was now surging through them. And as she did, she forgot about everything else. Forgot about her torments and confusion, about the damage she had just caused. All she could do was stare at her fists, feeling as if she had been reborn. All the weakness and fear she had once known cast aside, leaving her fresh, vibrant, and strong.

"Oh, Naru...!" the creature rasped, a slasher smile spreading across her face. "You are one _dead bitch...!"_ Without another thought, she leapt through the hole and started running towards the town. Flooded with eager hatred, and the desire to exact a heavy price on the women that so tormented Keitaro Urashima.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Well, if anybody was still wondering what was going to happen to Shinobu, this should settle any questions! Please, read and review. And maybe check out my other stories?<p>

Originally, I had planned on wrapping up this chapter with this huge battle I have in mind between Naru, Motoko, and Kaolla, and the new-and-improved Shinobu. But this chapter just kept getting longer, and so I figured that Shinobu's transformation was as good a place to end it as any. So I hope you will look forward to the beatdown that will take place next time.

Now, I'm sure some of you feel that Naru's and Motoko's response to Keitaro allegedly assaulting Shinobu was way over the top, but I'm trying to keep things in perspective. The two of them blast him into Low Earth Orbit simply for bumping into them or exactly catching them in compromising positions, etc. I'd have to figure that, if they decided that he had assaulted a girl Shinobu's age, who was already badly battered, than their Disproportionate Retribution would be that much worse. Plus, having Naru, Motoko, and Kaolla go chasing after Keitaro, with Haruka following them, makes for as good a reason to get Shinobu alone so she can transform as any.

As for why I decided to have Shinobu hulking around...let's be honest. In my mind, this is like fantasy come true for her. She's the little girl, the bully magnet who lives in dread of being bullied or encountering these situations where she's helpless to do anything but either be bullied or watch it happening. And now, she has the power to put a stop to that. Serious fun and story potential, anyone?

There were certainly a lot of reviews for the previous chapter, so I'll do my best to respond to them in as concise a manner as possible. A lot of you have raised some very valid issues about the abusiveness of the Hinata residents, and how thoroughly wrong their antics are and how they have no real excuse for them. Let it be known that I whole-heartedly agree with the majority of them, in that there is no excuse for abuse. In my opinion, Shinobu is the best of them all, and Motoko and maybe Kitsune are the only ones who could possibly mend their ways. Now, I really can't condemn Shinobu for her shyness and not taking action. She's dealing with people who could kill her with one little temper tantrum, after all. Also, I thank everyone for providing details to the torments Keitaro has gone through, as well as recommending stories to look for inspiration and so on. Because to be totally honest, I could barely tolerate Love Hina as a whole, and there were very few episodes I could enjoy, with Shinobu's intro being one of them. Given that the whole plot of Love Hina is driven by the torment and bullying of a guy at the hands of women who should know better and get away with everything they do scott-free, it's very difficult for me to stomach. When I want to see amusing injuries, I generally watch something more thought-provoking where the individual being injured actually does something to deserve it. You know, like the Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons.

Lazruth, I am in full agreement with you. Heck, the main reasons I'm writing this story is to facilitate my preferred pairing, as well as a Take That to the majority of the cast of Love Hina. As for Naru and the others, it might not have happened this chapter, but come the next one, they are _really _gonna get it!

Graybook, thanks for pointing that out. Yeah, it's common problem with me. I don't know why I keep forgetting words like that.

Hektols, Naru gets a beating next chapter, along with Motoko and Kaolla. As for her paying for damages...just wait and see.

Steve Booker, thank you. While I do intend for the Hinata residents to be taught the error of their ways, I am trying to portray them accurately. And I do intend for the one or two that can be redeemed to get that kick in the kibosh that starts it.

animefan29, it's not my intent to tease. The fact is that I can't remember Shinobu once getting angry in Love Hina. After seeing the way anger destroyed her family, it's my opinion that she would basically push all her anger inside. So I felt that it would take something pretty big to set her off, and this disaster is certainly a big one.

mnementh2000, I don't intend for this to be a bashing fic, though I like I said, I do intend for some Laser-Guided Karma to happen here. And the possibility of Motoko and Kitsune redeeming themselves is an open one.

Vassman, it just hit the fan. And thank you, I agree that Shinobu makes for a perfect Hulk.

Rifleman, Kanako will indeed factor into my plans. And true, I don't consider a relationship with an adopted sibling to be at all wrong.

Wonderbee31, this is indeed the last straw for Haruka. As for Keitaro...my opinion is that he has a real problem standing up for himself. But then, that also factors into my overall plans.

Khe-Ranh, I agree that Shinobu isn't treated well at all, and the sad thing is, I get the feeling that her parents also treated her pretty shabbily. And yup, not a lot of intelligence in Love Hina. I know it's supposed to be a screwball comedy, but there's so much screwball that it basically fails as a comedy! And indeed, I can't understand why everybody keeps kissing up to Naru instead of belting her the way Kanako did.

J.B. Crowe, I agree about Shinobu and I can't blame her for being intimidated by the other residents at times. And don't worry, I know Kanako isn't crazy.

dthegrimm, Shinobu will tearing into them come next chapter.

D Blackwood, don't worry, I know that Shinobu is the only girl who has any real reason for the way she acts. And she's one of the few that undergoes any amount of character development. And you hit the nail on the head with the faults of the rest of the girls. I'm going to be addressing them as well.

Whew! Hope that covers everything! Until next time!


	5. Naru's Waterloo

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 5: Naru's Waterloo

"Aw, c'mon girls! Pick up the pace! You're almost there!" Kitsune cried out with wicked glee as she stood on the terrace of the Hinata Inn, looking out at the nearby city through a pair of binoculars she had hurriedly grabbed from her room. "Hurry up, or he'll be out of that crater and on the move before you can find him!"

This had not been the best of days thus far for Kitsune. Having come a lot closer than she liked to either getting killed or severely injured by Kaolla's rampaging Mecha-Tama had left her shaken and in serious need of a nice, soothing drink. But now, not only was she free to enjoy the sweet, soothing sensation of beer, but she was also being provided some of the free entertainment that was so readily available at the Hinata Inn. For as was usual, their perpetually ill-fated manager had done something that Naru had been quick to misinterpret as being perverted, and had rallied both Motoko and Kaolla into chasing him down and making him pay for his evil ways. Which basically translated into them causing all kinds of mayhem, violence, and destruction, all without doing any real harm.

_Yeah, I know Keitaro complains about it, but it's not like he ever gets hurt!_ Kitsune thought with a bit of amusement as she shifted her binoculars to focus on the perpetual ronin, who was at struggling to dig himself out of the crater that had resulted when he had been sent crashing down in the middle of Hinata City after being punched, blasted, and blown up Naru and the others. All the while the people around him either looked on in horrified amazement, ran away from him convinced that he was some kind of undead monster, or those who were more-or-less used to this sort of thing, simply gave him a look before going on about their business in a hurried fashion. Doubtlessly aware that those responsible would soon be coming after him. _Besides, who in their right mind would ignore entertainment like this! And -!_

A loud, crashing sound snapped Kitsune from her thoughts, causing her to lower her binoculars and look about. "What the heck was that?" the foxy lady wondered as she scanned the surrounding area. Suffering a pang, she wondered if one of the Mecha-Tama out there was still running about uncontrollably, doing who knew what to the Inn. After all, unlike Keitaro, Kitsune was a frail little thing who was anything _but _indestructible. And if more of Kaolla's robotic agents of destruction was somewhere out there, spitting forth missiles and causing mayhem in close proximity to her location, than it behooved her to take shelter.

But after a few moments of looking about, listening for machinegun fire, lasers, missiles, or any other form of destruction, and seeing and hearing nothing, Kitsune shrugged and returned her focus to the chase. _Probably just a part of the building took a hit from before and finally fell apart,_ she concluded as she peered through her binoculars, searching for any sign of the show she had just been enjoying. _I just hope I haven't missed any of the - aw, yeah! Here we go!_

With a grin of excitement, Kitsune focused in on the city, just in time to see Naru and the others came within view of Keitaro. The irate beauty pointed at the perpetual ronin, doubtlessly shouting something about what a perverted monster he was, giving Keitaro just enough time to blanch in horror before he staggered his way out of the crater. What bystanders remained parted for him like the Red Sea parted for Moses, allowing Keitaro to race forward at full speed even as Kaolla unloaded some more machinegun fire and missiles at him.

"Aw, yeah! That's it!" Kitsune cried out enthusiastically, leaning forward to get a better look at all the action. "Come on, girls! Go get him already! Let's have a real party here! Let's -!"

_"A party?!"_ came a shrill, female voice rife with outrage, one that froze Kitsune in place, prompting goosepimples to rise up from her skin. "You think those bitches beating someone up for no reason is a _party?!"_

_Wh-what the -?!_ Kitsune thought, setting down her binoculars enough so that she could look about, try and find the source of the voice. _Wh-who said that? _she wondered as she looked about, unable to see any sign of the speaker. _The voice, it...it sounded kinda a familiar, but -_

"If that's what you really think...!" the angry voice continued, followed by a sound almost like that of something big and heavy being ripped apart, "...then you're gonna _love _this, slut!"

The sound of something rushing through the air was the only warning Kitsune had before she felt a resounding shock through the building, followed by the familiar sound of wood and building materials being ripped apart. Jolted with shock, the prankster leapt back several steps, just in time to see the top of a tree erupt from the terrace floor.

Her eyes going wide as she realized just how close a call she had had, Kitsune felt her legs turn to jelly and begin quivering uncontrollably. _If I hadn't moved when I had...!_ she thought fearfully, picturing herself being impaled on the broken treetop. _Who - wh-what did that?!_

"I'll be back to give you a proper beating later, you filthy, drunken whore!" came the voice again. "But right now, I've got bigger bitches to bash in!"

This last statement, particularly the first part of it, caused a fresh wave of alarm to surge through Kitsune. She had been threatened on occasion, even by friends and family, but never had she been the target of a voice filled with such raw, animalistic loathing. Pausing just long enough to look at the tree perforating the roof, the petrified prankster darted over to the railing circling the terrace. Looking about with wide eyes filled with fear, she tried to catch sight of her attacker, if only to reassure herself that, whoever it was she was dealing with, she wasn't coming after her that moment.

_Because if she _is, _then I better start making tracks! I -!_ Kitsune thought, only to jump when a flash of movement caught her eye. _Oh, god, is that - that...what the hell _is _that?!_

It was definitely female, that much was certain. She was also very definitely green. Her skin was a deep, vibrant emerald, while her hair was a much darker green. The clothes she wore were little more than ill-fitting rags that couldn't hope to conceal a figure that could give Naru cause for jealousy, as well as muscles that better fit a man than a woman. And at that moment, she was heading straight towards Hinata City.

As the fact that she was not in immediate danger sank in, Kitsune heaved a deep sigh of relief. _Still, I better call Naru and Motoko, let them know what happened!_ the shaken woman thought warily. _I sure as heck don't want to be alone when she comes back from...oh, NO!_

The realization hit Kitsune like a thunderbolt. Whatever it was that had attacked her had known her, or at least known enough about her to be aware of her love of all things alcoholic. Furthermore, the bestial woman had declared that she would be back after dealing with some 'bigger bitches'. And given the reputation of the rowdy Hinata girls, it didn't take much for Kitsune to realize exactly who the emerald woman had been referring to.

"She's after Naru and Motoko!" Kitsune cried out, the shock of realization propelling her towards the stairs. "Damn, I better let them know that they've got trouble coming their way!"

* * *

><p><em>When I get my hands on Naru and the rest of them, are they ever going to be in for it!<em> Haruka thought inwardly as she ran through Hinata City, trying to overtake the lunatics that were the bane of her nephew's existence. Led by the sounds of screaming, destruction, gunfire and explosions. _This is the last straw! I am done letting them get away with all this insanity!_

And judging by the trail of chaos and mayhem that Naru and her cohorts were leaving in their wake, Haruka was far from the only one fed up with this. She had dealt with enough of Kaolla's insanity to know that the various craters marking the sides of buildings and the streets were the results of missile impacts, and the people she saw were all acting like sensible individuals in that they were distancing themselves from the danger zone as fast as they were able. After all, none of them could take anywhere near the amount of physical punishment that Keitaro did, and they were quite likely too fond of breathing to remain in close proximity to the mobile calamity that Haruka was trying to put an end to. Which made it an unfortunate irony that their common sense was making it that much more difficult for her to accomplish this task.

"Crap! Get out of the way!" Haruka cried out as one of the fleeing citizens almost ran her down. Too busy running away to take notice of anyone that happened to be in his path. Flinging herself past the person in question, the teashop owner darted forward again, only to be forced to change course again by a woman screaming her head off. "What do you people think you're doing?!"

"Running for our lives, stupid!" someone replied in an offhanded manner. "What do you think we're doing?!"

"Get out of our way!" another cried out as she rushed past Haruka. "Those crazy girls from the Inn are at it again!"

"Why doesn't anybody do_ something_ about those psychos?!" demanded yet another person.

_Give me a chance to catch up with them, and I'll be _glad_ to do something about them!_ Haruka swore inwardly. Unfortunately, it was looking less and less likely that she would be able to overtake the lunatics in residence of the Hinata Inn. Each person that got in her way slowed her down more and more, while the antics of Naru and her fellow destructive maniacs was more than enough to chase away anybody who might be foolish enough to get in her way. _Dammit! Where are the police when you need them?! Or the army?! Or at least somebody who can blaze a trail through this mess, and -?!_

"Outta my way!" came a voice rising up above the rest of the cries of fear and panic, a voice that came from somewhere behind Haruka. "Are you listening?! _Get outta my way!"_

Despite the situation, something about this voice caught Haruka's attention. Unlike the cries of panic that rose up from around her, this voice held no fear, only outrage. Then something else caught her attention; the people that were running against her, trying to escape the madness that was the rampage of the Hinata Inn lunatics, all reacted with fresh fear. Their faces fell in astonished horror as they either skidded to a halt or turned and ran in different directions, scattering from the path Haruka had been taking. "Oh, _god!"_ someone cried out. "Not _another one?!"_

As other people made similar declarations, Haruka found herself slowing down in confusion. _Another one?! _she thought even as she looked over her shoulder. _Another wha...wh-wh-what the hell?!_

"Move it, people!" came the voice again, only this time, Haruka could see the speaker. At first glance, she looked like a heavily muscled young woman, possibly in the same age group as Naru and the others. But this woman was not only green, she was garbed in rags and wore no shoes as she ran down the street, a veritable blur as she closed in on Haruka's position. Giving the teashop owner a good, long look at the consummate rage that twisted her features. "Just get the hell outta my way!"

Unsurprisingly, the crowds did as the green woman demanded. Already shocked and scared by Naru and the others, they were in no mood to deal with another irate female. Unfortunately, not everything got out of the emerald Amazon's path; a badly damaged car, still burning from being struck by a stray missile, was directly in her path. But instead of trying to go around it, she narrowed her eyes, and growling between her clenched teeth, swatted at the car like she was trying to bat it out of her way.

To Haruka's astonishment, this worked. Far better than she could have imagined. At the touch of the green woman's hand, the car went flying like it had been hit like a dynamo, tumbling uncontrollably through the air and going up and over the nearby buildings before it's flight was interrupted by one of the taller ones in the distance. The car smashed into its side, embedding itself in glass and concrete, and stayed up there, several stories in the air, stuck in the building's side like a dart in a board.

For a brief moment, Haruka stared dumbstruck at the decimated car. She had seen plenty of displays of physical strength by women in the past, the way that Naru would launch her nephew into Low Earth Orbit or Motoko could so effortlessly decimate a foe with a single stroke of her sword. But this green woman had swatted a car out of her way, and had made it seem effortless. Like she wasn't even focusing on the car as anything more than something to be cleared out of her way.

Even as Haruka processed this, the green woman cried out, "Get outta my way already!" Her eyes widening, the Urashima woman realized just how close the emerald savage had to be, and looked about to see her accelerating in her general direction. Not wanting to be subjected to the same treatment the jade destroyer had given to the car, Haruka quickly jumped out of the way, allowing her to run past so fast that the rush of air left in her way very nearly knocked the teashop owner over. As it was, Haruka just barely managed to keep her balance, all the while watching as the inexplicable savage continued onwards, rushing towards where Naru and the others were presently spreading chaos and mayhem.

Several seconds later, after the green beast had gone her way, Haruka stood there, staring perplexedly in her wake before groaning despondently. "Well, _shit..."_ she muttered, wondering how exactly her life had been swallowed up by all this madness. "What _next?!"_

* * *

><p>"Keitaro, you filthy pervert!" Naru cried out hatefully. "Get back here so we can give you the beating you deserve!"<p>

"You might as well give up, you scum!" Motoko seconded, her prized Shisui held at the ready. "The longer you prolong this chase, the greater your punishment when we finally catch you!"

"Faster, faster!" Kaolla cried out jubilantly as she rode one of her Mecha-Tamas. The rest of her small army of robot turtles following a short distance behind the trio of girls."We're gaining on him! Ha ha!"

The Molmol princess was correct, Naru knew. Keitaro had taken off at full speed when he had seen his doom approaching in the three young women, and the long-haired beauty knew him to be quite fast when trying to get out of taking the beatings he deserved. But he was also being hindered by both the people he wound up bumping into, the various obstacles he had to avoid, as well as being forced to dodge missiles and gunfire from Kaolla's Mecha-Tama. _It won't be long now!_ Naru thought, anticipating the chance to unleash her hatred for all things perverted upon him. _All we need is a bit of luck, and -!_

The sound of her cell phone ringing cut through Naru's thoughts like a knife. Startled, she looked down at her pocket, demanding, "What, now?!"

"What is it?" came Motoko's voice.

Glancing over at her friend, Naru replied, "It's my cell phone! Should I -?"

"Ignore it for now," Motoko sternly responded. "Any distraction on our parts could give Urashima the chance to escape. We must focus on punishing him first and foremost."

A beat passed as Naru considered this declaration, and ultimately nodded. "You're right." she decided, returning her hateful glare towards their manager. "We'll deal with that pervert first!"

Perverts. That was basically what all men were. A bunch of hormonally driven losers and creeps and other forms of scum that had basically been the bane of Naru's life. Her cowardly bastard of a father had abandoned her and her mother, despite the fact that Naru had been so sick and frail at that point in her life. The man that her mother had later married had been no better, paying no attention to her at all. Instead, he directed all his attention and that of his new wife's towards his biological daughter Mei. And while Naru's new step-sister had been excited to have an older sibling, Naru had been disgusted by the whole thing. Not only was her mother replacing her husband, she was also trying to replace Naru herself. Of course, her mother had denied such allegations, but Naru was no fool; she could tell how much her mother was frustrated by the girl that had burdened her with her sickness for so long, had brought home such poor grades, and was such a failure that she was likely the reason her husband had left them. And so, finally becoming strong enough to live on her own, Naru had left her pitiful excuse for a family behind. Seeking the company of someone she knew to be a friend, she sought out Kitsune, her friend from junior high school, and found a place at the Hinata Inn.

But even then, males of all ages were an annoyance at best, and absolute perverts at worst. It was until she gained a tutorship at Tokyo U that she had met Professor Seta Noriyasu, a truly mature specimen of a male who displayed none of the perverseness and other flaws that males were so prone to. An educated man that treated her with utmost respect, and ultimately, a man that Naru had lost her heart to. And despite the fact that her crush had gone unreciprocated, Naru now had a true goal in life. To not just show her mother just how wrong she had been about the 'failure' daughter she had tried to replace, but to prove to Seta that she was worthy of his affections, by earning a place at Tokyo University.

In a way, that made Keitaro even more frustrating for Naru than the typical male. On the one hand, he had a goal that he was pushing towards with everything he had, just like she did, and in his own, clumsy fashion, he reminded her of Seta. Naru could even see the perpetual ronin growing up to be something like the man she had a crush on, if not for the fact that he was plagued by the self-same perversity that seemed to exist in every man that had ever lived.

Which, in Naru's mind, gave her extra reason to punish him for his perverse impulses. Not only to show Keitaro that she would not stand to be treated the way virtually all men treated women, but also to beat all those sick, disgusting perverse impulses out of him. After all, it was the only way he would ever become anything worthwhile. Let alone come close to approaching Seta's level.

_Still, he's crossed a major line this time!_ Naru thought, invoking images of a broken, battered Shinobu, helpless to do anything to protect herself as Keitaro molested her. _I've been way too soft on that pervert for way too long now! This time, I'm gonna beat him so hard that he won't ever even _think _of touching Shinobu again!_

This fresh anger spurred Naru forward, adding to her speed. "Keitaro!" she cried out again. "You're not getting away from us! Just give it up and take your beating already!"

Unsurprisingly, Keitaro completely ignored her perfectly reasonable demand. Instead, he put on an additional burst of speed, trying even harder to escape justice. _Okay. You had your chance, pervert!_ she thought bitterly. "Kaolla!" she called out aloud, looking towards the young genius. "Can you fire an missile so it explodes a couple feet front of Keitaro?!"

Giving her a puzzled look, Kaolla asked, "Well, sure! But not aim right at him?"

"Because we aren't trying to hit him. We're trying to _delay_ him," Motoko chimed in, giving Naru a smile of respect. "Good thinking, Naru."

Unsurprised that the kendo practioneer had grasped her strategy, Naru smiled and nodded before returning her focus to the Molmol girl. "Trust me on this, Kaolla!" she told the young genius. "Just do what I told you to!"

Kaolla spent a moment considering this before shrugging. "Okays, Naru!" Quickly working her remote control, the exuberant blonde sent a missile arcing into the air with a squeal of delight.

Making certain to keep track of where her feet were going, Naru watched the missile ascend, smiling in sadistic satisfaction when she saw that the Molmol girl's aim had been true. The destructive projectile flew up into the air, only for its trajectory to curve as it began its descent. Keitaro, too panicked to do much of anything than just try and keep ahead of his pursuers and their onslaught, did hear the missile launch. Naru could see that in the way he had initially tensed, but as the missile had shot up and away from him, he had discounted it was one of the many shots Kaolla had fired and missed. So with his attention once again solely on his pursuers, he was unprepared for when the missile completed its arc, coming to impact squarely on the street just ahead. Giving the perpetual loser just enough time to realize what was about to happen when the missile blew up in face.

_"Yee-iiiikes!"_ Keitaro cried out as the explosion sent a barrage of fire, smoke, and shockwaves slamming into his front and lifting him up off his feat. Completely helpless to save himself, the perverted manager was sent flying backwards several feet. When he hit the ground, he tumbled about a few times before finally coming to lie down on his back.

"Hooray! Hooray!" Kaolla cried out, leaping up and down in delight. "We got him!"

"And now...to _finish_ him!" Motoko declared in a cold, cutting voice.

While Naru very much doubted that they would or even _could_ kill someone as indestructible as Keitaro seemed, she was certainly eager to give him his just desserts. After all, perhaps a trip to the hospital would teach him the error of his evil ways, and even if it didn't, Shinobu would spared any further assaults from him for at least a while. And so she and the others raced up towards the perverted loser, who was already straining to recover, at least enough to get back up on his feet and again flee. "Oh, no, you're not getting away this time!" Naru declared, rushing up towards Keitaro. Before he had a chance to even mutter one of his usual lame excuses, she grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and hauled him up to look her in the face. "You had your chance to cooperate! Now you're _really _gonna pay!"

"But - Naru, _please!"_ Keitaro cried out in protest, waving his hands before him. "I - I can explain! I -!"

"Oh, _shut up!_ You think you can try and molest Shinobu and we'd just let you get away with it?! You've gone too far this time, you...!" Naru snarled, drawing back her free hand, balling it up into a fist, "..._pervert!"_

Naru's fist connected squarely with Keitaro's face, sending him flying across the street, tumbling about and spinning wildly, even ricocheting off streetlights and other nearby objects. Determined not to let him escape once more, the furious femme darted off after him, with Motoko and Kaolla following closely. "Hey, let me have some fun, too, Naru!" Kaolla grinned wickedly, working her remote control. "Wheee!"

As one, the horde of Mecha-Tama began spraying machinegun fire at the out-of-control Keitaro. Naru couldn't tell how much of the hailstorm of bullets found their deserved target, but judging by his screaming, he was certainly feeling the assault. Nor was he going to be given any respite as Motoko went into action.

"Take this, scum!" the kendo practitioner began, already swinging her prized katana. "Secret Technique: Air-Splitting Sword!" With this, a wave of destructive power leapt forth from Shisui, crashing into its target with perfect precision. Crying out in shock and pain, Keitaro was sent flying hard into a building wall, his impact resulting in a crater. "And now...!" Motoko growled lowly before shooting forward, heedless of Kaolla's continued barrage.

"Hey! I coulda hit you, Motoko!" Kaolla whined in protest, hurriedly discontinuing the machinegun fire before any stray fire could hit the wrong person. "What are you doing?!"

"Delivering justice to this vile pervert!" Motoko replied just as she leapt up into the air, blade held over her head. Like a samurai from a martial arts movie, she came down right in front of Keitaro, swinging her blade in a downward arc that looked like a brilliant flash of movement in Naru's eyes. And just like in the movies, it's victim cried out in sheerest agony. No matter how indestructible Keitaro was, he had certainly felt _that _blow.

"Now it's _my _turn!" Naru declared, eager to vent even more of the outrage she felt over this latest act of perversity. Charging in at full speed, issuing a formidable battle cry that prompted Motoko to look about and clear a path for her. As for Keitaro, he had just enough to look up and see the furious beauty charging towards him, raise his arms and cry out in protest, just before Naru drove her fist squarely into his face. The pained cry this resulted in gave her a sense of triumph and satisfaction, and she wanted more of it. More outlet for her rightful rage, so she punched him again. And again. Punch after punch, driving him even deeper into the wall he was embedded in.

"Naru...please...stop...!" Keitaro wheezed out in a pained voice. "I...I didn't - I was just trying to - to protect Shinobu! I -!"

"Shut it, Keitaro!" Naru snarled, his words fanning the flames of her fury. Like most men, he was trying to take the easy way out, making excuses instead of actually taking responsibility for his own misdeeds. "I've had all I can take of you and your excuses! And just for the record, the only thing Shinobu really needs to be protected from is _you!"_

"Agreed!" Motoko chimed in. "She is not strong enough or experienced enough to protect herself from scum like you! But while she may not be capable of defending herself, we will not allow you to -!"

"Hey! Hey!" came Kaolla's exuberant voice. Wincing in annoyance at how Motoko's lecture had been cut short, Naru turned about even as the sword mistress did the same to see the excitable genius bouncing about impatiently on her Mecha-Tama. "C'mon! It's _my _turn to play with Keitaro again!"

Frowning somewhat and with plenty of anger towards the miserable pervert to dish out, Naru glanced over at Motoko. The kendo practitioner gave her a look, as well as a teeny, tiny curl of her lip, one that Naru soon returned. "Okay, Kaolla!"

As both Naru and Motoko cleared away from Keitaro, the dark-skinned blonde grinned merrily. "Hoorays!" she beamed, already working her remote control. "Get ready, Keitaro! I've been whipping up something special, just for you!"

This announcement sparked a measure of life back into Keitaro, enough so that he was able to look up, his eyes bulging in horror as each and every one of the Mecha-Tama there opened its mouth. "Wh-wait!" he babbled out, shaking his head with as much pleading as he could. "Kaolla! Please! Don-!"

"Behold! My special Particle Acceleration Cannons! Yay!" Kaolla enthused before pressing a button with tremendous gusto. A mechanical whine was heard, and a deep blue light was seen within the mouths of each of the Mecha-Tama. Both sound and light quickly intensified, and a moment later, each of the robots spat forth streams of blue destruction at their helpless target.

To Naru's immense surprise, the impact of the beams was such that Keitaro was instantly smashed right _through _the wall he was imbedded in. _"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"_ he cried out just before a loud crashing sound was heard, than another, and another. An instant later, the Mecha-Tamas ceased fire, and a huge cloud of dust spilled out from the building.

_Oops! That might have been a bit much!_ Naru thought as she peeked inside, waving aside the dust so as to get a better view. To her surprise, she saw that the interior was empty; there were no people in there, no furniture. Only a series of walls that were now perforated by Keitaro having been blasted through. _Whew! That's a relief! _she thought, very nearly mopping a bead of sweat from her brow. _For a moment, I was worried we might have hurt somebody!_

"Oh, wow! That was so awesome!" Kaolla cried out in delight. Again, the barefooted girl was bouncing up and down on her Mecha-Tama, heedless of anything except her own enjoyment. "C'mon, you two! Let's play some more!"

A beat passed before Naru nodded. The anger and hatred that still burned in her demanded outlet, and she saw no reason to deny herself that. So without hesitation, she darted through the hole, holding her arm up before her lower face to keep from choking on any dust. Motoko was only a short distance behind, and she could already hear Kaolla and her army of robots following as well. Moving as quickly as they could, it wasn't long before they emerged out the other side of the building and spotted Keitaro. The pathetic little pervert had been practically drilled into the street, lying in a crater up against the wall of another building, his eyes little more than squiggles as he lay there slack-jawed.

If the circumstances had been different, Naru might actually have felt sorry for him. Despite her outrage, she knew that they were dishing out a lot more punishment than even Keitaro was used to. But at the same time, she was still angry at him. He had a faint spark of potential that might actually allow him to be something more than the rest of the losers that was the male population, but he constantly ruined it by refusing to overcome his perverseness, his constant whining and complaining, and his utter wishy-washiness. Furthermore, he had crossed a major line that day. He had attacked Shinobu, a girl as weak and frail as Naru herself had once been. A girl that had been looked down upon as being pathetic and worthless by everyone, including her own family.

And as if adding insult to injury, Keitaro still bore no sign of injury. He was dazed, he was out of it, his clothes had been liberally shredded by everything he had been through, but the miserable pervert himself was still perfectly intact, without so much as a bruise or scrape to show for his punishment.

In a way, this made Keitaro even more frustrating for Naru. When she hit someone, she wanted them to feel it, to know they had been hit. And while she couldn't expect to keep him down for long, she wanted to make him suffer. To know that there would be no more tolerating his vile ways towards women, that she would not allow him to do whatever sick thing he pleased.

And so the enraged woman shot forward again. "We're not done with you yet, pervert!" Naru declared, employing the martial arts skills imparted to her by Seta to deliver a punishing kick to Keitaro's jaw. The helpless enemy of women was sent flying up to the perfect height for her to follow up with a spin kick that sent him tumbling through the air once more. The miserable pervert flew up and again crashed into a nearby building, smashing into its third story, where he hung there helplessly, basically adhering to the building.

"Indeed, we are not!" Motoko seconded. "Secret Technique: Air-Splitting Sword!" Once again, a wave of destruction flew out at Keitaro, crashing into him and the building alike. Even as he cried out in pain, his pitiful screams were all but drowned by the sound of the building wall exploding. An entire side of brick and masonry was blasted apart, sending huge chunks of it flying everywhere. And tumbling helplessly to the ground, screaming all the way, was the helpless little pervert that was the cause of so much trouble. Pelted by bricks and by large sections of wall alike, Keitaro soon felt to the street, crashing down before the three angels of justice and retribution.

_There! Let's see him just walk _that _off!_ Naru thought with malicious satisfaction as Keitaro lay before her, strewn all over a large piece of wall with several bricks raining down upon him. _Now maybe he'll -!_

The sound of her cell phone ringing once again cut Naru off in mid-thought. Jumping somewhat, she looked down at the pocket where her phone was and scowled. _Again?! Who could be calling me at a time like this?!_

Rolling her eyes, Naru was considering answering the blasted thing if only to tell whomever was calling to not bother her now, Kaolla piped up excitedly. "Now it's _my _turn again!" she squealed giddily as a series of metallic clanks was heard. Looking back, the temperamental beauty watched as several missiles appeared from the shells of the many Mecha-Tama. "Get ready, Keitaro! You're about to go flying off again!"

Even as Naru processed this, she heard something else. Another voice, one far more distant than Kaolla's, but heightened and powerful with shock and horror. A voice that cried out, _"No!"_

_What the...?_ Naru wondered.

"Wheee!" Kaolla squealed happily as she pressed a button. Triggering the release of at least a dozen missiles that arched into the air, trailing smoke and flame as they prepared to swarm down upon their helpless target.

And then...Naru saw something else.

It came out of the corner of her eye. A blur of colors, mostly green, a blur that shot up and over the many Mecha-Tama, just under the missiles they had released. A blur that rushed over to come to stand next to where Keitaro lay.

A moment later, the missiles completed their arc, and rained down upon their target.

* * *

><p>One of the big problems with being very nearly indestructible, or at least as close to it as humans got, was the fact that said indestructibility didn't offset several other human weaknesses. Something Keitaro had learned the hard way since coming to live at the Hinata Inn.<p>

When Keitaro took a blow, while his body would remain basically injured, he would still feel the pain of the hit. And when that blow was serious, such as when Naru or Motoko attacked him, his body would be severely disrupted for a time. It wouldn't respond to his commands for it to move, no matter how much he wanted to, or how much danger he was in. He could be perfectly aware of his peril, and completely unable to do anything about it.

At that moment, Keitaro had taken far more punishment in a relatively small amount of time than he could recall taking before, and as a result, he was presently helpless to escape further torment. He couldn't move his arms or legs, nothing more than a low groan could escape his lips, he couldn't even close his eyes. And he wouldn't be able to for a little while yet. He knew from hard experience that it would require a minimum of thirty seconds before his nervous system recovered enough for him to be able to regain control of his body.

He also knew that, judging from the missiles that were currently shooting towards him, that he had no more than five seconds before he was sent blasting off again. _I can't even close my own eyes,_ Keitaro groaned inwardly, too blasted and pummeled to even be afraid anymore. _Can't they at least give me a blindfold before blowing me up again?_

With a whimper of resignation, Keitaro watched as the missiles rained down towards him...only to be suddenly blocked out of sight. An instant later, there was a series of powerful detonations, followed by a billowing of smoke that filled the area.

His body functional enough to respond to the smoke with a weak cough, Keitaro required a few seconds to realize that something strange had happened. He needed even more time to realize what it was; the missiles had not hit him. It wasn't that the battering he had taken had screwed him up so much that he was presently numb to successive blows; the missile barrage had somehow failed to find its target.

"Hey! What happened?!" Kaolla whined in disbelief. "Why isn't Keitaro flying off again?!"

_Not that...I'm complaining..._ Keitaro thought perplexedly. _But...I was kind of...wondering the same thing..._

As Keitaro paused to wonder what could have happened, he heard a voice speak to him. "Are you alright?!" the voice asked, rife with anger and alarm, with alarm seeming to be the primary emotion. "Keitaro! Can you hear me?! _Are you alright?!"_

_Huh? Who...is that...?_ Keitaro wondered dazedly. Though his various senses weren't working the way they should have been, there was something vaguely familiar about the voice addressing him. And more importantly, the voice had addressed him by name. So it was logical to assume that the speaker knew him in some way or form. _But...who...?_

_"Are you alright?!"_ the voice wondered again, this time with greater urgency.

"Ugh..." Keitaro groaned weakly, unsure of what to make of this. He was still too battered to make any real sense of what was going on. But even so, he had been given precious time to recover. Already, he could feel sensation returning to his battered form, and he could make his limbs and head move to an extent. "Uh...I'll...um..."

"Huh?!" came another voice, one that Keitaro recognized as belonging to Naru. "Wh-what's going on here?!"

Something in Naru's voice, a mix of confusion and fear sparked something in Keitaro. Whatever was happening had to be something unusual. If someone had just interfered with her efforts to punish him, Naru would have been mad, and maybe a bit confused. But the fact that there was fear in her voice said that something unusual was happening. And something unusual tended to mean something extremely painful in Keitaro's mind, prompting the hapless ronin to force his head up, at least enough for him to be able to look about, to try and see what was going on.

"What's going on, bitch, is that you're days of bullying and beating up on poor Keitaro have come to an end!" came the voice of Keitaro's apparent rescuer. Focusing on it, he slowly forced his recovering body into a seated position. Until at last he could angle his head in the direction of the newcomer, just as she said, "Because if you think you're going to lay so much as a finger on him while _I'm _around, you've got another think com-!"

"Huh?!" Keitaro gaped out, his sound of astonishment cutting the speaker off. For he had just gotten his first look at her, and the shock of it made him understand why Naru had spoken with fear.

The person who had rescued him was obviously female, and looked to be about his age. But that was all that was even remotely normal about her. Every visible inch of her flesh and hair was green, and she had a great deal of visible flesh due to the fact that she was dressed solely in ill-fitting rags. Rags that seemed to be tearing a bit more with every move the young woman took, because her entire body was framed with corded, steely muscle, as well as full posterior and feminine assets that could put Naru's to shame. And it was obvious that muscle was more than just for show; the woman was presently holding a large chunk of the concrete over her head. It was far larger than her in size, and yet she held it up without any visible strain or effort.

"Ah...wha...?" Keitaro sputtered out, blinking a few times as his mind struggled with what he was seeing. This was far from his first encounter with strange things. After dealing with Motoko's martial arts prowess, Kaolla's inexplicable transformation into an adult while under the influence of a red moon, as well as the various forms of insanity that were so commonplace at the Hinata Inn. But trying to cope with a fresh example of such madness after the day he had had was proving to be a far more difficult thing.

In response to his bungled utterances, the green woman turned and looked his way. Looking into her eyes, the pupils of which were also green, Keitaro was given a fresh shock. The woman smiled at him. "Oh, you're alright!" she beamed, heaving a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!"

_Huh?!_ Keitaro thought, more flabbergasted by the moment. _A beautiful woman...being nice to me?! Smiling at me?!_

"You just stay right there, Keitaro!" the green woman declared, angling herself so that she could get a better look at him. "I'll get you back home...just as soon as I teach these bitches a lesson they'll never forget!"

_A woman...who wants to...protect me?! _Keitaro thought, even more astonished. _Who - who -?!_

The subtle sound of fabric tearing pricked Keitaro's ears. Without even thinking about it, he glanced in the direction of the sound, and discovered that even this subtle movement was straining the woman's tattered shirt even more, her ample breasts tearing at her front, revealing even more emerald flesh.

_Who - has a figure...like...?_ Keitaro thought, now completely at the end of his rope. His overwhelmed mind and brutalized body reacting to this last bit of stimulus in the only way he could. Squawking in shock as a spurt of blood erupted from his nose, the bedraggled ronin finally passed out.

* * *

><p>As Motoko stood at the ready, her prized Shisui glinting in the light of the sun, eager to dole out punishment to those deserving it, she couldn't help but be at least a bit concerned about the situation now confronting her.<p>

"Keitaro?!" the green woman who had stepped in to block Kaolla's missile attack asked, looking at him in concern. Tossing aside the huge section of building wall that she had used as a shield against the missile attack in order to make her way over to his side. "What happened?! Are you okay?!"

"Who..._what_ is that thing?!" Naru demanded, taking a step back from the bizarre scene taking place before them. "And why is she _defending_ that sick pervert?!"

_That's a very good question,_ Motoko found herself thinking, tightening her grip on her blade. _This creature...clearly, she is not human. She is far too strong, and her skin coloring..._

"Wha...?" Kaolla breathed. When Motoko and Naru turned towards, they saw the young genius staring with unblinking eyes at the green woman. "She...she kinda looks like..."

"Like what?" Naru asked. "Kaolla, if you know what this thing is, then -!" The brunette was inexplicably cut off by the sound of her cell phone ringing again. "Argh! Not _again!"_

While Naru was cursing this interruption, muttering about how they couldn't afford to be distracted just then, Motoko was studying the creature that was presently checking Keitaro's pulse. It clearly wasn't human, nor was it a machine of any sort. At least, not that the kendo mistress could tell. Furthermore, she could sense something strange about this creature's aura, unlike anything she had confronted before.

_It must be...some manner of demon!_ Motoko eventually concluded, this realization prompting her to tighten her grip on Shisui's handle. She had dealt with demons in the past, as was proper of any member of the Shinmei-Ryu School of Martial Arts, but her experience with such creatures had taught her two valuable lessons. The first was that battling demons was not something you went into blindly. Motoko herself had had a horrendous experience exorcising one particular demon, and had been cursed with an irrational phobia as a result.

The second was that, according to the elders of her school and her sister Tsuruko, the absolute worst demons were those that wore human shapes. And this demon, despite its inhuman coloration, certainly qualified.

_But why would a demon try to defend a miscreant such as Keitaro?_ Motoko wondered. Then she frowned, and decided the question ultimately did not matter. Keitaro still needed to be punished for assaulting Shinobu, and demons, no matter their origin, were a potential threat to those around them. Whatever it's reasons for interfering with them, this demon needed to be exorcised, and Keitaro dealt with.

_My honor demands that I do no less,_ Motoko concluded. Tensing herself for action, she glared harshly at the green beast. "You! Demon!"

Starting at this, the green demon swiveled her eyes towards Motoko. "Who are you calling a demon, kendo bitch?!" the savage demanded. "Look at what you three did! Thanks to you, poor Keitaro's passed out! You could have killed him, you dumb, bullying bimbos!"

Motoko's initial reaction to this rebuttal was confusion. In her experience, demons did not take offense when referred to as such. But this did not last, for then she was annoyed by the impertinence and insulting manner in which the demon spoke. And she was not the only one, which was made clear when Naru shot back with, "Hey, who are you calling a bully?!"

"You! I'm calling _you _a bully, Naru Narusegawa!" the demon shot back. "Always acting so high and mighty! Beating up poor Keitaro just because you can!"

"Wha- hey, it isn't like that!" Naru sputtered out, her cheeks flushed with annoyance. "That stupid pervert's _always _up to something! Spying on us, trying to grab us - why shouldn't we defend ourselves?!"

"Defend yourselves?! That's a laugh, bitch! 'Keitaro's looking at me! He's being a pervert!'," the demon spoke in a mocking imitation of Naru's own voice. "'Keitaro's talking to some young girl! He's being perverted! Keitaro's doing absolutely nothing! He must be _thinking _something perverted'!" Then the demon sneered derisively and snarled, "It must be really convenient, being able to label every man as a pervert just so you have a reason to beat them up! Makes you sound like you're actually a victim when all you are is a sadistic bully who gets off on treating people like dirt, all because you _can!"_

Naru sucked in an irate gasp at this, now even more flushed by anger. But before she could say anything, Motoko held out her sword and placed it before her friend. "Don't let this creature get to you, Naru." When the brunette made a questioning sound, the raven-haired added, "This demon, whatever her origin, is clearly trying to goad you into attacking. Please, allow me to deal with her." Not giving her friend a chance to argue, Motoko took several steps closer, and assumed a battle ready stance. "Hear me, demon. I am Motoko Aoyama of the Shinmei-Ryu School of Martial Arts. And on my honor, I vow to exorcise you from this world."

"Hmph! Honor?!" the demon sneered derisively. "Listen here, kendo bitch! I've got more honor in this finger right here..." she declared even as she held out her middle finger towards Motoko, "...then you've got in your entire bony body!"

Doubly stung by both the disparaging remark about her honor and the way it was issued, Motoko felt her own cheeks burning. "How _dare_ you speak to me in that way!"

"And how dare _you _use a damned sword on somebody who isn't even armed, bitch!" the demon shot back, visibly becoming more angered. "You want a fight, then fine! Let's see how well you do when you're actually fighting someone who _wants_ to fight back!" Then she smiled a vicious, dangerous smile and added, "Because you better believe I would _so_ enjoy wadding up that stupid sword of yours and making you _eat it!"_

Now even more angered, Motoko glared hatefully at the green beast, looking forward to stilling her arrogant tongue. But even as she prepared to challenge this miserable demon, Kaolla blurted out, "Hey! Does that mean you want to play with us?"

Her eyes flying wide open, Motoko stared in disbelief at her exuberant friend. "Kaolla, no! This isn't someone you -!"

"Sure, why not?" the demon smirked, waving for Kaolla to make the first move. "Come on, bimbo brains! Take your best shot!"

"Okey-dokeys!" Kaolla beamed merrily, already working her remote control. "It's time for the Particle Acceleration Cannons again! Whee!"

"Kaolla, no! Don't make yourself a target for -!" Motoko tried in vain to warn her friend, but as usual, the Molmol princess completely ignored any attempt at reason. An instant later, each Mecha-Tama present opened its mouth and once again released streams of blue destruction, with each of them targeting the green-skinned demon.

Each blast found its target, striking the emerald oni squarely in her chest, the streams of power washing over her body and driving her back a distance. But with a feral growl, the green beast dug her feet into solid cement, her toes digging furrows in concrete as she was forced backwards. And even that didn't last long as the demon became more visibly furious, leaning into the beams as if daring the numerous robots to do their worst.

And as Motoko looked on, she realized that the Mecha-Tamas' worst wasn't nearly bad enough to dissuade this demon. Before her very eyes, the green oni's already-considerable muscles visibly swelled, straining the rags she wore even more.

_I've never seen this before!_ Motoko thought worriedly. _This demon is more formidable than I had thought!_

And making matters worse was the fact that Naru and Kaolla were in close proximity to the beast. Motoko wasn't worried about Keitaro, who was virtually invulnerable and apparently not even a target for the demon's ire, but the girls were another matter. The exuberant princess treated everything like a game, even when it was deadly serious, something that could get her killed in a situation like this. And Naru, while trained in martial arts and a skilled fighter in her own right, had no experience in dealing with demons.

_All the more reason to end this fight as quickly as possible! _ Motoko concluded, raising her trusted Shisui. "Take this, demon! Secret Technique: Air-Split-!"

But even as Motoko prepared her ultimate attack, she realized that the demon was also in motion. The instant she had raised her sword, the emerald savage had quickly grabbed up a nearby chunk of masonry. Before the sword mistress could finish calling her attack, the demon sent it flying towards Motoko, snarling, "I don't think so, bitch!"

Realizing her peril, Motoko swung her sword prematurely, releasing the incomplete Air-Splitting Sword at the incoming projectile. The band of destructive power hit the chunk of masonry just before it could reach her, but she had not had enough time to fully channel enough chi into the technique to make it truly effective. While the Air-Splitting Sword had been able to shatter the masonry, the kendo practitioner was still pelted with chunks of the resultant debris, and was forced to raise her arm to shield her eyes and face. Leaving her effectively blinded, if only for a moment.

This was moment that the demon was quick to take advantage of. With a wrathful snarl, she launched herself forward in complete defiance of the particle beams, soon breaking into a run. Naru's eyes went wide in surprise, but then her survival instincts kicked in as the jade monster drew close, prompting her to hurriedly jump out of the way.

The demon didn't even pay any attention to Naru. Instead, she ran up to the Mecha-Tamas that were still firing at her, and grabbed two of them by their necks. The metal armor crumpling in her grip, the emerald savage effortlessly lifted one of the robotic turtles up and then threw it at several of its fellow machines in a blur of furious motion. The robot shot forth like a discus, cutting down a couple more Mecha-Tama, an action the monstrous demon repeated with the other mechanical turtle she had grabbed.

"Wha- hey!" Kaolla whined in protest at the sight of her precious robots being so effortlessly destroyed, the rest of them scattered. Their beam cannons no longer focused on the demon, who was already rushing up to the dark-skinned blonde. "You're not supposed to do that!"

"Says who, bitch?!" the demon demanded before swatting the Mecha-Tama Kaolla was riding on, sending both it and the Molmol princess flying into the air.

_"No!"_ Naru cried out, utterly horrified. As for Motoko, she gritted her teeth and leapt up into the air towards a nearby building. Sheathing Shisui in mid-air, she angled her feet so as she hit the wall feet-first, then coiling her legs beneath her, she paused just long enough to gauge Kaolla's position and the speed at which she was tumbling about before leaping up even higher. Fortunately, the Mecha-Tama the Molmol princess had been riding on had taken the brunt of the blow, so while it had been sent flying far and away, Kaolla was already falling back to the ground. Just low enough for Motoko to be able to reach up...and catch her in mid-air.

As Kaolla gasped in surprise at being caught, Motoko clenched the youthful genius close to her chest. "Hang on, Kaolla!" the sword mistress told her, studying the terrain below and preparing herself for landing. "We'll be down soon, so -!"

"Not so fast!" came a familiar, hateful voice, which was the only warning Motoko had before she felt a powerful hand wrap around her ankle. Her eyes going wide, the kendo practioneer saw to her horror that the demon had leapt up and grabbed her. Flashing a malicious grin, the emerald horror used her momentum and considerable strength to whip Motoko about before throwing her towards a nearby building.

_Dammit!_ Motoko couldn't help but think as Kaolla cried out in fear. There was no time to angle herself for a rebound, so the martial artist did the only thing she could do; she curled up around the frightened princess as best as she could. Just moments before she crashed into the wall.

The instant she impacted, Motoko felt like every nerve she possessed was exploding with pain. The air was driven from her lungs as she cried out in agony, and stars and comets were sent flying before her eyes. Nor was she given any chance to recover, for an instant later, gravity took over, and both she and Kaolla fell from the wall and tumbled a short distance down to the ground.

As Motoko lay stunned on the sidewalk, gritting her teeth as she struggled to get moving again, Kaolla quickly got to her knees. "Motoko?" she asked, bending down to place her hands on the sword mistress's shoulder. "Motoko, are you alright?! _Motoko?!"_

Motoko looked up at the Molmol girl, and was caught between trying to reassure her and wanting to urge her to run. But before she could do either one, a green blur landed a short distance away, causing her eyes to widen with horror. "Kaolla...go...!" Motoko rasped out, trying to force herself to move even as the demon straightened herself up and started towards them. "You have to run!"

"Sure, right, Kaolla! Go ahead and run!" the demon said mockingly, driving her right fist into her left hand as she approached. "Like it'll do you any good!"

Looking about in surprise, Kaolla then turned and stood before the green beast. "Hey, what are you doing?!" the Molmol princess demanded. "Why'd you do that?! We're not indestructible like Keitaro! You could really hurt us!"

"I know," the demon grinned cruelly.

"This is a game! Don't you understand that?!" Kaolla continued even as Motoko struggled to find her feet. "We're just having fun! We - _ack!"_

The demon had moved so fast that she had been little more than a blur. Before Motoko could say or do anything, the green beast had grabbed Kaolla by her throat and lifted her up off the ground. "I don't know about you, but I'm having _lots _of fun!" she declared even as the youthful genius struggled to get free of the demon's implacable grip. Then the beast reared back with her free hand. "And by the way?" she began, balling her hand up into a fist. "Game...Over...!"

_No!_ Motoko thought, struggling to move, to get back to her feet and do something. But her battered body was not yet recovered enough to move, let alone act on Kaolla's behalf.

Luckily, someone else was.

_"You!"_ came a righteous voice filled with rage. Three sets of eyes looked about to see Naru charging forward with her right hand reared back, her eyes narrowed with fury. _"Get away from them!"_ An instantly later, her knuckles connected with the demon's jaw, lifting the jade horror up off her feet and sending her flying, while at the same time causing her to lose her grip on Kaolla's neck.

"Owie!" Kaolla yelped as she came to land on her posterior.

"Well done, Naru," Motoko chimed in as she managed to get up on her knee. Feeling a sense of relief as her friend stood there, her fist still held up high.

Only for relief to turn to shock as Naru let out a pained cry before bending over, grabbing her right wrist with her left hand as she held up her right hand. "Naru! What's wrong?!" Kaolla wondered, bouncing up to her and looking at her in concern. "What happened."

Looking from her hand to Kaolla, Naru's expression was one of sheer agony. _"I think I broke my hand!"_

While Kaolla's face fell in astonishment, Motoko frowned, and soon realized that her friend was correct. Already, Naru's hand was swelling horribly, turning a brilliant, burning red. Even if no bones had actually been broken, which was an unfortunate likelihood, her punching hand was effectively out of action.

As Motoko forced herself up, bracing herself up against a building as she got back up on her feet, the demon's mocking voice was heard. "Well, well. Busted your fist with your Naru Punch, huh? I guess there _is _such a thing as karma," the green oni declared with a wicked grin. "How about I give you a matched set? And maybe some broken legs and ribs while I'm at it?"

"Motoko, I don't like this girl!" Kaolla declared in a scornful voice. "She's such a meanie! She doesn't play nice at all!"

Wincing at the unmistakable irony to Kaolla's words, Motoko once again drew Shisui from its sheathe, and directed her full focus on the creature that had caused them so much pain that day. "Stay back, demon!" she told the foul monstrosity with as much force as she could muster. "You will have to crush me in battle before I will allow you to so much as lay a finger on my friends!"

"Fine by me. I was planning on saving Naru for last, anyway," the demon smirked even as she started forward again. Clearly taking her time, not at all concerned about the trio of girls before her. Now that she had taken a measure of what they were capable of, she was completely dismissing them as a threat.

_Your last mistake, demon,_ Motoko thought, her eyes narrowed with intensity. _For while you _are _formidable...I am still a warrior. And...I believe I have a plan to defeat you..._

It wouldn't be easy, Motoko knew. But as she glanced about at her surroundings, she saw no reason why her strategy wouldn't work. All she needed was a bit of time to brief her friends on their roles in it. _So the first thing I need to do is buy some time,_ she thought, raising her sword overhead. "Secret Technique," she began, the demon already bracing herself for the resulting blast. Just as Motoko had suspected she would. "Air-Splitting Sword!"

Then Motoko swung her sword with all her strength at the demon and the street she stood on. The jade horror didn't even bother to try and dodge the blast; instead, she grinned wickedly and folded her arms before her, and took the Air-Splitting Sword head-on. The Secret Technique of the Shinmei-Ryu School of Martial Arts washed over the demon, and to the horror of everyone present, even Motoko, it was even less effective on the emerald beast than it was on the seemingly indestructible Keitaro. It ripped apart even more of her tattered garb, but it completely failed to do any visible harm to the creature herself, or even push her away. She just stood there as if all she was being subjected to was a mild summer shower.

"A bit of advice, kendo slut!" the demon grinned victoriously. "Learn some new Secret Techniques! That one felt like a -!" The sound of concrete breaking apart cut the green oni off, her eyes going wide with shock as she realized that, while she herself may have been impervious to the Air-Splitting Sword, the ground she stood upon was not. Before she could even more, the pavement exploded beneath her, sending the demon toppling off-balance, windwilling her arms helplessly as the street crumbled, revealing nothing but emptiness below. Crying out in impotent fury, the demon fell into the darkness, hateful curses echoing up from it.

Not giving her foe a chance to recover, Motoko reared back with her sword once again, taking aim at the nearby building. "Secret Technique: Air-Splitting Sword!" she cried out, again wreaking her ultimate. The blast her sword unleashed flew squarely at the building, causing the entire side to explode, sending huge chunks of masonry down into the hole. All the while the demon screamed her outrage.

"You got her!" Kaolla cried out in delight even as Naru managed a tiny smile of relief. "Hoorays! Hoorays, Motoko!"

"No, I didn't," Motoko quickly assured them. When her two friends gave her a surprised look, the kendo practitioner explained, "Whatever this demon is, she possesses extreme endurance. She has already demonstrated both her strength and her ability to take punishment. Kaolla's particle cannons did her no harm, and as we just saw, the Air-Splitting Sword is also ineffective."

Her eyes popping open, Naru opened and closed her mouth a few times in mute horror. "B-but -!" she started, her mangled right hand shaking in her grip, "-wh-why did you -?"

"To better gauge her durability. And to buy us some time." Focusing on the youngest of the trio, Motoko asked, "Kaolla, can you cause all the Mecha-Tama here to self-destruct at once?"

"Absolutely!" Kaolla responded with clear enthusiasm. "What good mad scientist would build a robot that doesn't self-destruct?"

"Then when I give the word, I want you to have all of them ram the demon and self-destruct simultaneously!" Motoko ordered her younger friend.

"But - I lost the remote control!" Kaolla protested. "I dropped it when that mean girl sent me flying!"

Sucking in a gasp, Motoko needed a moment to recover. A moment she realized they couldn't afford to waste when an outraged growl issued up from the hole, followed by several chunks of stone wall. "Then get it! And hurry!" the sword mistress instructed her friend. Heeding the urgency in her voice, Kaolla scampered away, in search of the remote control. With that taken care of, Motoko turned towards her other friend. "Naru, look over there." she asked, pointing at a street corner with her sword. "I'm going to lure the demon to that point. As soon as I do, I need you to distract her."

"Distract her?!" Naru repeated incredulously. "How?!"

"Any way you can think of! All I need is a few seconds!" Motoko replied, watching as even more stone and debris flew out of the hole. They were almost out of time. "Now, please, get back! You are in no condition to fight, and I cannot fight this creature and protect you as well!"

Naru looked like she was about to protest, but even as she opened her mouth to do so, there was another roar of rage, followed shortly by a green blur shooting up from the darkness. This was all the incentive the bombastic beauty needed to hurriedly distance her from Motoko's vicinity, running as quickly as she could before taking up station on the other side of the street.

Hoping that Kaolla would be smart enough to keep her distance and counting on Naru to keep an eye on the Molmol girl, Motoko directed her full attention to the demon that had just landed a few feet away from her. "You think you're so smart, don'tcha, kendo bitch?! Knocking me into a hole?!" the green oni snarled as she glared pure hatred at the kendo practitioner. "But that's always the way with you, isn't it?! You're always acting so high and mighty, making like going to a fancy martial arts school makes you better than everyone else!" The jade beast started forward, and to Motoko's dismay, she was visibly growing even stronger with every step she took. What little remained of her tattered garments was being strained to the limit as her muscles swelled up even more beneath her skin. "Well, let me tell you something, bitch! You're _not _smarter than me! You're _not _better than me! And if you think that dumb sword of yours is going to do anything other than piss me off, then I'm gonna smash you to pieces, just for being so damned stupid!"

_This is not good. Somehow, this demon is growing even more powerful,_ Motoko thought as she gingerly stepped backwards, her full focus on the beast's every move. _If we do not kill her soon, then we might not be able to kill her at all._

Which meant that they only had one chance to end this battle. One chance...before the demon could end them.

Holding up her sword between herself and the demon, Motoko was fully aware of the rage that marked her every motion. The way her hands were poised to reach out and grab her if the sword mistress were to be so foolish as to allow her the chance, the way her emerald irises tracked her every move, the way her veins throbbed with pure hatred. But perhaps most of all, the anger and frustration that was radiated from her expression. And expression of barely contained rage, as if she was barely holding herself back. As if all she wanted to do was rush in and destroy her, but was holding herself back for some reason.

_She must suspect we're up to something,_ Motoko determined. _Despite her arrogance, this demon is no fool._ Realizing more than ever that this would mean that precision timing would be paramount, she moved carefully, her every motion controlled and precise. Every...

The demon lunged, darting forward with her arms outstretched, ready to wrap her hands about Motoko's head. The sword mistress responded by dropping down almost to her knees, allowing the beast to grab nothing but empty air. But the green oni was determined, and countered by firing her knee at Motoko's head. But the kendo practitioner was already in motion, curling into a roll that put her out of harm's way. "Grr...!" the demon snarled, firing off a punch that just narrowly missed the rolling Motoko, her fist burying itself in concrete. The force of the impact causing the street to fissure, sending large sections of concrete flying up and away in the process. All the while Motoko uncurled and landed on her feet, nimbly jumping back to avoid the onslaught, dodging the larger pieces while parrying the smaller bits of debris with her sword. "What do you think you're doing, bitch?! I'm gonna get you, sooner or later!"

"Perhaps. But the only guaranteed road to failure is surrender," Motoko returned sagely, refusing to allow herself to budge as she stared down the furious demon. "And I will not yield. Not while my friends are depending on me."

"Your 'friends' are just a bunch of nasty, self-centered, bullying sluts, bitch! Just like you!" the demon shot back hatefully. "And as soon as I'm down tearing you in half, I'm gonna -!"

"Hoorays! I found it!" Kaolla cried out in delight. Glancing in her direction, Motoko saw the exuberant blonde hopping about happily, holding up the device that was the linchpin of her plan. "I got the remote control, Motoko!"

A sense of relief washed over Motoko. Relief that was cut short when she realized that the demon was also looking at Kaolla. Again, the sword mistress was reminded that this creature, while arrogant, was not foolish. She had to realize that Kaolla's claiming of the remote meant that she would again be able to muster her Mecha-Tamas against her. Which meant that Motoko had to provide a suitable distraction. Without hesitation, she darted forward and leapt towards the demon, delivering a kick to her face.

_Ouch!_ Motoko thought as her kick connected, and she rebounded off the demon. _It's a good thing I was careful not to use my full strength! She feels like she's made out of steel cables!_ Understanding all too well how Naru had broken her hand on this green fiend, the kendo practitioner landed on her feet, again holding her sword out towards the beast. "Your fight is me, demon!" she boldly declared. "Remember, if you wish to harm my friends, you will have to defeat me first!"

The demon narrowed her eyes, glancing from Motoko towards Kaolla then back again. And then she did something the sword mistress would not have expected. She smiled, and it wasn't a nice smile.

"Hmph. Just how stupid do you think I am?!" the demon harshly demanded. "You've got something planned, don't you?! And that little bimbo's windup toys are part of it, aren't they?!" Letting out a hiss of distress, Motoko was certain that her ploy had failed. But then, to her surprise, the green oni laughed viciously. "Well, fine! You think I'm scared of those damn robots?! She could send an entire _army _of them after me! It just means I'd have more of the damn things to smash before I finally get around to smashing the three of _you!"_

_Hmm. You truly are an arrogant demon, aren't you?_ Motoko thought, again relieved. Again, their foe was completely dismissing them as a threat. "Then come!" she called out, determined to prod the creature's arrogance even more. "If you truly as powerful as you believe yourself to be, then come and face my blade!"

"I'll face your damned blade and then I'll shove it down your throat, bitch!" the demon sneered, rushing forward to fire off a devastating punch at Motoko. Again, the kendo practitioner's skill came into play, allowing her to dodge the blow by scant inches. The wind coming off the blow making it clear what would happen if the demon managed to connect.

_That's right! Just stay focused on me!_ Motoko pleaded the demon as she fired off punch after punch, visibly becoming angrier with each passing moment. All the while the sword mistress maneuvered her foe into the proper position. _Just a few steps more this way, then -!_

"Kaolla! Motoko needs some help!" Naru cried out, very nearly breaking the martial artist's concentration at the wrong moment. "Fire a few missiles at that ugly green freak!"

Her eyes going wide, the demon turned towards Naru and snarled, "Who're you calling _ugly,_ you damned slut?! I'm gonna -!"

"Okey-dokies! Missiles away!" Kaolla grinned, pressing a couple buttons. In response, each of the surviving Mecha-Tama launched a missile at the demon.

_No! How could you two be so -?!_ Motoko demanded, only to cut herself off as she focused on the immediate situation and leapt clear the ground zero. Watching as the missiles flew in towards the demon, all the while hoping that the demon would not turn her attention on her friends.

As the missiles closed in on the green oni, she snorted a laugh. And then, to Motoko's surprise, swatted several of the missiles with a single swing of her fist. completely unfazed by the resultant explosions. Then, just before the last few missiles found their mark, the demon grabbed two of them out of the air, completely ignoring the remaining few as they detonated against her. Not so much as leaving a bruise on her emerald flesh.

"Wha- oh, no!" Naru gasped in shock while Kaolla just stared at her slack-jawed.

"Ooh, party favors!" the demon grinned wickedly, studying the missiles even as their rockets still burned, trying to propel them free of her grip. "Thanks!" With that, the emerald nightmare turned, reared back, and threw one of the missiles at Naru. The brunette cried out in surprised fear as the projectile flew clumsily towards her before finally throwing herself out of its path. Then the demon threw the second missile at Kaolla, who also had a very narrow escape as a result.

_The particle cannons, missiles, my sword, nothing's even slowing this demon down anymore!_ Mokoto realized with a pang. With this in mind, she cried out to her friends, "Please, you two! Stick to the plan! It's our only chance now!"

"Plan? What plan?" the demon wondered, again focusing on Motoko. "What, you still think you can stop me?!"

Holding up her sword once more, Motoko carefully stepped back. The demon was very nearly in position. Just a few more steps in the right direction, and everything would be in place. "I don't just _think _we can stop you...I know we can," she informed her foe with utmost sincerity. "And soon...I will prove it."

"Oh, get real, stupid," the demon snorted back, marching forward without any concern or fear. "You can talk all you want, but you're not the one with the power now; _I am!"_

This statement struck Motoko as strange, but she frowned and discarded her concerns. She would have plenty of time to consider these things after the demon had been exorcised. _And that won't be much longer now,_ she thought, watching as the emerald oni marched forward, completely focused on Motoko. _A little more...just a bit more...now, Naru!_

As if responding to Motoko's mental pleadings, Naru took note of the demon's position, and called out, "Why are you doing this, anyway, you evil freak?! We've never done anything to you?!"

"Haven't - haven't done anything to me?!" the demon repeated, her emerald irises sparking with outrage. Outrage that was focused straight and sure at Naru. "You _dare _to - you filthy slut, when I get through with

you, you're gonna -!"

"Secret Technique: Air-Splitting Sword!" Motoko invoked, releasing a low-power version of her ultimate technique. Upon hearing this, the demon looked towards the sword mistress, as if wondering why she hadn't been blasted yet. Then the sound of wood and metal being sliced was heard, followed by the crackling of electricity. Prompting the demon to look up, her eyes going wide when she realized that Motoko's target had not been her, but rather the power cables that were hanging just above her head. Cables that were now falling upon her like hungry snakes.

"No! I - _yeaaarrrggghhh!"_ the demon shrieked, her voice a mix of pain and fury as the power cables snaked about her body, sending untold amounts of electrical current racing through her. Her hair was standing up on end, and her entire body was convulsing. But even so, she continued to struggle, tried to fight her way free. _"Th-this won't stop m-me!"_

_No, but _this _will!_ Motoko thought as she looked about. "Kaolla! _Now!"_

"Okey-dokies!" Kaolla responded, already working her remote control. As one, each of the surviving Mecha-Tama angled themselves towards the demon and charged straight towards her. The beast fought against the cables that were presently electrocuting, snarling and roaring her fury, but even as she fought her way to freedom, the robotic turtles collided with her. "Bye-bye, meanie! You're about to go flying! Yay!"

With that, Kaolla pressed the button...and unleashed hell on earth.

As one, all of the Mecha-Tamas' power cores overloaded and exploded, releasing a devastating sphere of electric blue that not only completely enveloped the demon, but also began to swallow up the area surrounding it. Concrete was pulverized and building walls shattered before it. All the while three girls were hit hard by the resulting shockwave, and were sent flying away by the sheer force of it. Crying out in pain and shock, Motoko and the others tumbled uncontrollably through the air, caught up in forces of pure destruction unleashed.

Motoko had no idea how long she was tossed about and brutalized by the forces they had unleashed. All she was aware of that, eventually, she came to a sharp, sudden stop. The breath cruelly driven from her lungs, the kendo practitioner was aware of gravity causing her to fall forward and come crashing down on her face. And there she lay for a long while, beaten, battered, and for a time, unable to do little more than groan her exhaustion.

But Motoko knew that she couldn't allow herself any respite, not just yet. Not until she was absolutely certain that the demon had been vanquished.

The first thing she did was take stock of her situation. Her prized Shisui was still in hand, Motoko having tenaciously retained hold of it despite everything. And while she would doubtlessly have some fresh bruises in the days to come, she could move, even though it was with some difficulty. And so, with considerable effort, she forced herself to move, forced her battered body up onto its hands and knees. Forced herself to look up and about, to see what was happening. And when she did, she couldn't help but gasp at the devastation.

An entire block of Hinata City had essentially been destroyed. Building fronts had been shattered, leaving them hollowed wrecks, streets had been shattered, and all the was left where the demon had once been was a smoldering fire with smoke spilling for from it. The entire area was little more than ruins.

_But...where are the others...?_ Motoko groggily wondered, looking this way and that. She could see no sign of her friends, or Keitaro for that matter. _Still, he's indestructible. I'm sure he's just fine._

Unfortunately, Motoko knew that the same could not be said about her friends. And so, with considerable effort, she managed to drag herself up to her feet. and after taking several pained gasps, she looked about her surroundings once more and called out, "Naru...Kaolla...can you hear me...?"

"Ohh...owww...!" came Naru's voice from somewhere off to Motoko's side. Focusing on it, the kendo practitioner gingerly stepped in its direction, drawing closer even as a familiar face rose up from behind a pile of rubble. "Motoko...?"

"I'm over here," Motoko replied, grateful to see her friend more-or-less intact. "Are you alright?"

"Ugh...my hand's still hurting," Naru reported, holding up the battered hand in question. Frowning as she noted that it looked even more swollen than before, Motoko watched as her friend managed a wan smile. "But...I guess it could have been worse."

"It certainly could have been," Motoko agreed as the two of them closed the gap between them. "What about Kaolla? Have you seen her?"

Before Naru could respond, a familiar voice announced, "I'm over here...owie...!" Looking about, the two young women watched as their youthful friend got to her feet, swaying somewhat to a non-existent wind. "Wow...the self-destructs worked really well, didn't they...?"

"Indeed, they did," Motoko remarked, looking over the carnage that had resulted from their battle.

"I just hope the city doesn't blame us for this!" Naru groaned. "And...ugh, look at me! I'm a total mess!"

Looking over at her friend, Motoko found herself hard-pressed to disagree with her. Both Naru and Kaolla were covered head-to-toe with dirt and grime as a result of the blast, and the raven-haired woman had no doubt that she was in a similar state. "Still...there's one more thing we need to do," she declared, looking over at the epicenter of the explosion that had ripped this section of the city apart, plumes of smoke still rising up into the air. "We should make certain that our foe has been dealt with."

Both girls make expressions of confusion at Motoko's statement, with Naru putting that confusion into words. "What - that monster?" she asked. "But, Motoko, that thing _has_ to be dead! I mean, look around!" Gesturing at their decimated surroundings, the brunette went on to say, "Not even _Keitaro _could have survived anything like that!"

"Yup!" Kaolla agreed. "The big, green meanie went boom!"

"We cannot be certain about that. Not until we've found the body," Motoko insisted. When her friends made faces at this, the kendo practitioner sighed and explained, "That creature, be it a demon or something else, was extremely formidable. Unlike anything I've seen before. We need to make certain that we killed it, because if we haven't, then we may soon be in this same situation all over again."

Kaolla visibly cringed at the notion of again being at the demon's mercy, while Naru held up her broken hand and tightened her grip on her wrist in fear. Only for the two of them to gasp at the sound of a low, mocking laughter echoing throughout the streets. Laughter that was followed by an all-too familiar voice saying, "Well, what do you know, kendo bitch! We actually agree on something!"

A sickening chill running through her body, Motoko felt her eyes go wide as she and the others turned towards the smoldering crater that had been ground zero for the self-destructing Mecha-Tamas. _No...please...!_ she thought as she looked towards the plumes of smoke. _It...it simply cannot be...!_

Motoko continued to think that as she watched the smoldering crater, listening as loud, powerful footsteps were heard. Footsteps that heralded a blurry figure appearing in the smoke. A figure that soon stepped into the open, waving aside the lingering smoke before looking at them...and smiling cruelly.

As one, the three young women recoiled, with varying degrees of horror etched on their faces. "N-no...!" Naru gasped out as they all took in the muscle-bound figure. A figure that was completely covered with dirt and filth, the tatters she had once worn completely incinerated by the blast, but was otherwise perfectly intact, awake, alert, and alive. "But...this is _impossible! _You..._you're dead!"_

"Dead?!" the demon repeated, breaking into a mocking laughter as she derisively shook her head. "Oh...I'm not dead..." She issued another chuckle...just before all mirth fell away from her face, revealing pure, savage hatred. _"I'm just MAAADD!"_

And without another word, the demon charged towards them. Naru and Kaolla instinctively turned and ran, but Motoko responded solely to her training, and stood her ground, sword held high before the oncoming monstrosity. "If this is my day to die, than I will do so with honor!" she announced even as the implacable horror closed the gap between them. "Secret Technique: Air-Split-!"

"Shut it, kendo bitch!" the demon snarled, closing the gap between them and grabbing her sword by its blade. "You three have had this coming for a _long _time! And just so you know, as soon as I'm done here, I'm gonna go back to the Inn, and give that slut Kitsune the same kind of beating I'm about to give _you!"_

As Motoko clenched her teeth in frustrated despair, Naru cried out, "Wh-why are you doing this?! Attacking us like this?!"

"Because you're a bunch of bullying sluts and bitches who get off on making poor Keitaro's life miserable, just because you _can!"_ the demon snarled back. "And I'm gonna make sure that you never do it _again!_ Starting with you, kendo bitch!" With that, the vile monstrosity yanked Shisui from Motoko's grasp and grabbed it by both ends. "Time I put this dumb sword of yours to good use!"

Without hesitation, the demon advanced on Motoko, holding out Shisui so that it was behind her head. Then the sound of metal groaning in protest was heard, followed by the feel of cold steel at the back of her neck. With a rush of horror, the kendo practitioner realized that the demon was bending her sword, the symbol of her honor, and was now wrapping it about her neck. Within seconds, she could feel it constricting about her throat, slowly cutting off the flow of air.

"No, stop it!" Kaolla cried out in protest. Without a single thought, the Molmol princess darted up to the demon and began pounding hysterically on her power leg. "Leave her alone, you big bully!"

"Bully?!" the demon retorted, pausing in her labors just long enough to swat Kaolla away. The exuberant blonde tumbled to the ground, unconscious even before she came to a halt. "Coming from you bitches, that's pretty funny!" Without another word, the jade horror finished wrapping Shisui about Motoko's neck before shoving her down to the ground. Then, while the kendo practitioner lay there, she turned to the last member of their group that remained standing. "Well, what are you going to do, Naru? Isn't it about time you started running...like the bullying coward you are?!"

For a moment, it looked as if Naru would indeed run, and in all honesty, Motoko hoped she would. There was nothing more any of them could do. They had given this battle their all, and had been found wanting. Nothing could have been gained from Naru staying. She couldn't help them, or defeat this demon.

But the instant the demon's barbed words were heard, Naru's features became flushed with sudden rage, and she balled up her one good hand. "I am no coward, you bitch! And there's no way I'm running away from a sick, evil freak like you!"

"Naru, no!" Motoko cried out, but it was too late. The hot-headed woman cried her fury and charged the demon, her good hand raised to punch the beast with everything Naru had.

"Hmph! Typical Naru bitch!" the demon muttered, holding up her right fist in a lazy fashion. Just before Naru was in range to deliver one of her legendary punches, the green beast extended her fist...and flicked her forefinger in Naru's face.

The result of this was Naru being sent flying backwards several feet, crying out in sheer agony before she fell to the ground, fell still, and fell silent. Causing Motoko to let out a gasp of despair as the demon sneered, "Hmph! You damn bitches sure love to dish it out, but you sure as hell can't take a hit!"

As the hateful beast turned her attention toward Motoko once more, the exorcist glowered hatefully at the demon, refusing to show even an ounce of fear even now. "You may have defeated us, demon," she growled lowly. "But at least I will meet my end with honor!"

"There you go again with honor, kendo bitch!" the demon sneered derisively. "As if you would know what honor was even if it bit you in the ass!" Bristling at this caustic remark, Motoko glared even more intensely at the beast that had humiliated her. "And as for that whole 'meeting your end' part...I've got other plans in mind for you! _And _your fellow bitches!"

"Other plans?!" Motoko demanded, not sure if she liked the sound of this. "What are you -?!"

"That's for me to know and you to find out...after you wake up!" Then the demon bent down and wrapped her knuckles on Motoko's head, filling her eyes with stars and comets.

The last thing Motoko heard before she surrendered to unconsciousness was, "So sleep tight, bitch!"

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Sorry to take so long in updating this story, but I hope all the action and excitement here makes up for the delay! Please, read and review. And maybe check out some of my stories?<p>

Part of what made this chapter a challenge was trying to get into Naru's head, to see things from her perspective. In my opinion, she is, as a friend of mine once described her, "THE BIGGEST fickle, impulsive, jealous, petty, selfish, shallow, hot-headed, spiteful, evil, violent, wishy-washy, bi-polar BITCH I have ever seen in all the years I've read mangas and watched animes". But even so, I didn't want to portray as an utterly mindless bitch who hits Keitaro just because she could. I tried to make this aspect of her personality rational, if only from her perspective.

Mind you, this does not mean that I excuse her actions in any way, shape, or form. But I did not want my portrayal of her to be two-dimensional, either. I would also like to thank J4RRE77 for his assistance in helping me get my facts and characterization down for this chapter.

Twilights Herald, sorry, but considering just how much cruelty and abusive goes on in Love Hina, and all the ends Akamatsu went to in order to let the lunatics of the Hinata Inn get away with it, I hope you will indulge me in enjoying some payback. I'm trying to avoid outright, mindless bashing, but I do intend to lay down the law on them. I also hope to redeem at least one or two of them in the process.

Gijinka Renamon, I don't understand why animes like this glorify abuse, either. And I hope you enjoyed Naru, Motoko, and Kaolla being on the receiving end of the beat stick for a change!

mastergamer45, glad I was able to surprise you there. And yeah, P.J. Niles and J.B. Crowe both raise some excellent points.

Dark Vizard447, consider the abusive asses of Naru and the others thoroughly kicked.

J.B. Crowe, I'd have to agree with you on your points. Naru truly is a rancid bitch, and the ending is nothing short of appalling in my mind.

P.J. Niles, again, I agree with the points you make here, though I did try to justify Naru's abusiveness (at least from her perspective) so she doesn't come off as being completely two-dimensional here. I also agree that Naru and the others don't treat Shinobu well, and that her repressed anger makes her a perfect specimen for hulking out.

Gundam Kaiser, I'm sorry you don't like the way this story is going, but I honestly am trying to write the characters as accurately as I can. And if you don't agree with them...well, again, sorry.

Frosty Wolf, the comeuppance has arrived. Hope you enjoyed it.

Khe-Ranh, Hina having contacts in the Hinata Police Division would certainly explain a lot. I'll keep that suggestion in mind.

J.T, sorry I made you wait so long, but I hope the action in this chapter made up for it.

dragon-cloud16, you are not the only one who feels that way about Love Hina. As is mention in the TV Tropes YMMV section about Love Hina, "If you're a male in this series... it's a-okay to harrass you, beat you up, treat you like a thing and call you a pervert even if you're not! You'll have to apologize to your own abusers anyway!" And I'm glad you agree that Shinobu is the perfect character for this kind of thing. Like Bruce Banner, Shinobu tends to bottle up her anger, and the result is...not good. For her, or anyone else.

Wonderbee31, Naru blames _everything _on Keitaro. Why should this be any different?

Hektols, believe me, I have every intention of doing a scene with Haruka and Shinobu calling the girls out, reporting to their families, and even Haruka taking advantage of the situation to get Keitaro to man up and stand up to his abusers.

HotelKatz, I don't doubt people would be horrified by such a change. Though to be honest, I think they should be horrified anyway. Abuse is not funny, no matter if it's female on male, or anything else, for that matter.

Lazruth, they didn't get hit by a tree, but they did take a beating.

Kamen Rider Chrome, poetic justice indeed.


	6. Keitaro's Questioning

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 6: Keitaro's Questioning

As the creature that had once been Shinobu Maehara looked down upon the stupid bitches she had just brought down, she couldn't help but smile in triumph. Reveling in a sense of supreme satisfaction as she studied the foes that had given their all to stop her. Had virtually destroyed the surrounding area in a last-ditch effort to kill her.

And they had failed.

_This is amazing!_ the creature thought, holding up her hands and clenching her fists before her eyes. Her heart still thundering with exhilaration and delight over the battle she had fought and won. Again savoring the dauntless might that now coursed through her body. _I barely felt anything they did to me! _

And this was true; the missiles, beams, Motoko's vaunted Air-Splitting Sword had done no damage to her, caused the emerald woman no pain. The voltage from the power cables had only slowed her down, and even the simultaneous detonation of the Mecha-Tama had done little more than leave her dazed and stunned for a time. _I don't know what's happening to me...but I like it! I _love _it!_

Grinning wickedly, the creature glanced over herself, hardly able to believe that this had once been the scrawny little body of Shinobu Maehara. Raising her right arm and flexing, grinning as a massive bicep bulged in response, for there were simply no words to describe how much she loved the powerful new form that she now wore. For it was because of this power that the creature had finally been able to pay Keitaro's tormentors

back for the misery they had caused her beloved sempai. She had been able to stop them in the middle of their little roaring rampage of unjustified vengeance upon someone who's only real crime was to be clumsy and be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who had a good heart and had shown her kindness and compassion when no one else would.

"But don't think for a second that I'm done with you bitches yet! In fact, I haven't even started paying you back!" the green-skinned savage smirked nastily. "By the time I'm done with you, you won't even _think _of even laying a finger on poor Keitaro ag-!" Then the creature cut herself off, for something had just clicked in her mind. "Oh...oh, no! _Keitaro!"_

In an instant, the creature flashed back to the blast that had encompassed her, leaving her temporarily stunned and helpless, if only for a time. A blast that had thoroughly ravaged this entire area, and quite possibly anyone in it. "Keitaro!" she cried out, looking towards the last place she had seen her beloved sempai. Still unconscious, battered and beaten, and completely helpless to protect himself from the destructive force of the self-destructing Mecha-Tama that had decimated this entire area. "Oh, Keitaro!" the hulking woman cried out, breaking into a fearful run. "If you got hurt because of those damned bitches, I swear I'll make them suffer for it! I'll smash them to pieces! I'll - I'll -!"

When she arrived at the building where she had last seen him, the hulking women looked wildly about, only to gasp in horror when she saw no sign of him. Only more destruction and carnage, wreckage and debris. "No..._Keitaro!"_ she cried out, looking this way and that, confused, upset, fearful, and angry. Advancing upon the pile of rubble, she did the only thing she could think of doing; she took hold of a large chunk of debris, and with only the slightest of efforts, hefted it up in one hand and tossed it away. As it sailed up into the air, she was already grabbing another massive chunk in her free hand. Before long, piece after piece of concrete and brickwork was flying up and away from her location, the pile of rubble standing before the creature quickly shrank.

Until at last it was gone. And to her surprise and confusion, there was still no sign of Keitaro.

_But - where is he, then?!_ the creature thought worriedly, fear for his safety warring with rage towards the people that had put Keitaro in this position. _Did he wake up, or - was he hit by the shockwave from that blast?!_

The creature had no idea. The building had certainly been hit hard by the force of the self-destructing Mecha-Tama, but from the angle of the damage, Keitaro should have at least been somewhat protected. But that did not rule out the possibly of him waking up during the fight, making his way out into the open, and then getting hit by the blast. And if that had happened...

"Keitaro!" the creature cried out, her concern for his safety overriding her awareness of his seeming invulnerability. Looking wildly about, searching for any sign of him, she then cupped her hands to her mouth and cried out again. "Keitaro! Can you hear me?! _Keitaro?!"_

Her heart thundering even more as her fear and concern mounted, the creature became more and more frantic, twitching and jerking about as she searched for Keitaro, wanting to run off in a dozen different directions at once to search for him, going nowhere because she had no idea which direction was the right one.

Until...

"Ohh..." came a low, pitiful groan of pain. A groan of someone that had been battered beyond belief, and was only just barely conscious. A groan the creature had heard more times than she wanted to remember.

"Keitaro?!" she called out, trying to focus on the source of the sound. A sound that soon repeated itself, this time being stronger, as well as allowing the creature to home in on where it was coming from; one of the many ruined buildings lining the shattered street, a building that was now little more than a massive pile of rubble. _"Keitaro!"_

Without another thought, the creature raced up to the half-destroyed structure, and was soon grabbing sections of shattered concrete and masonry and tossing them aside effortlessly. Images of Keitaro's pulverized remains spurring her on to move faster, dig deeper. With seemingly half of the fallen building flying up into the air as the creature searched.

Finally, after a seeming eternity, the creature tossed aside a large section of the building, and instead of more shattered concrete, she found the object of her quest. "Keitaro!"

"Oh..." the perpetual ronin groaned woefully, his eyes rolling weakly about their sockets as he lay sprawled across another large piece of concrete. The cracks lining his frame making it clear that he had hit this building hard as a result of the explosion. "I'm sorry, Naru...I didn't mean to..."

_"Keitaro!"_ the creature crooned in delight as she reached down and grabbed him up. Wrapping her arms about him, she took him into a powerful bear hug. "Oh, Keitaro, I -!"

_"Yee-oowwww!"_ Keitaro suddenly cried out, startling the creature out of her delighted state. Gasping in surprise, she looked at her crush, only for her eyes to widen in shock when she saw him squirming about in her powerful arms to the tune of cartilage popping and his face turning red from lack of oxygen.

"Oh!" the creature yelped, releasing Keitaro without another thought. The hapless manager fell to the ground, heaving breath after heavy breath. As his color slowly returned to normal, the emerald Amazon looked shame-facedly at him. "I - I'm sorry, Keitaro! I forgot my own strength, and - _I'm sorry!"_

Still breathing heavily, Keitaro raised his right hand and haggardly waved aside the creature's concerns. "No, no...that's all...I..." he started, only to pause to heave a deep breath. Bringing his hand to his forehead, the eternal ronin then paused to give his head a clearing shake. "I...uh...I'm sorry, I..."

"It's not your fault! Relax!" the creature assured him, bending down to look him in the eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you! I just -!"

"No, it's probably...my fault, anyway...it's...it's always...my..." Then Keitaro paused in trying to clear whatever fog was still wrapped around his mind and blinked a few times. He then turned his head and focused on the green-skinned Amazon for the first time, at which point the entire world seemed to grind to a halt as their gazes locked.

"Huh?" the creature wondered as Keitaro continued to stare blankly at her. "What is it? Why are you -?!"

_"Gahhh!"_ Keitaro finally blurted out, his jaw plummeting to the street as his eyes bulged bloodshot from his sockets. Twin gushers of blood erupted from his nose before the hapless manager fell back upon the streets once more.

_"Keitaro?!"_ the creature cried out in alarm as her crush twitched sporadically before her. "Wh-what's wrong?! What happened?! Why are you -?!" But even as she spoke, a metaphorical light bulb lit up above the emerald Amazon's head, cutting her off in mid-sentence. For she had seen Keitaro react this way many times in the past, though never to her. It was the kind of reaction he suffered when exposed to a beauteous female clad in minimal clothing.

Or in this case...no clothes at all.

_Oh...right..._ the creature thought with a hint of chagrin as she looked down at her own emerald form, with only a layer of grit and grime covering her considerable assets. _I almost forgot, but...my clothes were burnt up in the blast!_ Frowning her annoyance, she looked down at the prone Keitaro. _So...now what?_

The creature didn't mind the notion of Keitaro seeing her naked. As much as the former Shinobu would have been mortified by the prospect, the jade giantess found the notion rather appealing. After all, what better way to help her crush forget about Naru than to show him beyond any doubt that there were bigger and juicier fish in the sea? But at the same time, she knew how well Keitaro did _not _react to this sort of thing. And to make matters worse, he was so used to being brutally assaulted for such exposures that he would likely panic, thinking that the creature would similarly brutalize him.

_So I better get some clothes...but how?!_ It was a good question, the creature realized. None of Shinobu's old clothes could even hope to fit her now, and she didn't want to steal something from the nearby stores. _So where do I - ah! Of course!_

Again, inspiration lit up the creature's mind, and so she smiled happily before bending down to scoop Keitaro up in her mighty arms. "Sorry, sempai! But after what happened, I'm not letting you out of my sight!" she said by way of explanation to the still-unconscious ronin as she marched towards the three consummate bitches she had defeated. As soon as she was within a few feet of them, she carefully set Keitaro down, doing everything she could do make sure he would remain comfortable while she went to work.

"Okay, you bitches," the creature purred dangerously as she surveyed her prone foes. "Since you're the reason I don't have any clothes, I think it's only fair that you should cough up something to replace them." A wicked smile curling her lips, she then asked, "Now, which of you will be the lucky donor...?

Kaolla's clothes were definitely out. The Molmol girl was about the same size as Shinobu, so there was no chance that her sailor suit would ever fit. Motoko's loose-fitting kimono and hakama would certainly fit, but at the same time, didn't exactly show off the figure in the way the emerald Amazon wanted to.

"Which just leaves you, Naru," the creature thought wickedly as she studied the sociopathic girl's garments, which consisted of a turtleneck and skirt. They would certainly be a tight fit, and there was a good chance that the jade Amazon would wind up tearing them at least a bit just putting them on, but that wasn't a problem in her mind. She did want to show herself off a bit for Keitaro, after all.

_And besides, it fits in perfectly with what I've got in mind for you!_ the creature added inwardly, flashing a sadistic smile as she bent down next to Naru. _Still, I better move fast! I -!_

A sudden ringing snapped the creature from her thoughts. Furrowing her brows in annoyance, she looked about for the source, soon realizing that the sound was coming from right before her. A sound she soon placed, at which she reached into Naru's pocket, and with a delicate touch, fished out the bombastic bimbo's cell phone.

"Well, well...I wonder who'd be calling right now...?" the creature asked in a mocking fashion. Another idea taking shape in her mind...

* * *

><p>"Aw, c'mon, Naru! Pick it up already!" Kitsune desperately pleaded as she paced about the interior of the Hinata Inn, never before as panicked as she was at that moment.<p>

She had been trying to reach Naru and the others ever since she had been attacked by the green fiend, a monster that had made it clear that she intended to attack them. Leaving Kitsune fearful for their safety, for while they were all formidable in their own right, they weren't indestructible like Keitaro.

Unfortunately for the foxy woman, she had been unable to reach Naru, something that had made her fears grow even more intense. An effect that was magnified by the sounds of destruction and explosive plumes leaping up from Hinata City. Things that possibly could be attributed to the typical antics of her friends...or the wrathful ministrations of an inhuman horror.

"Please, Naru!" Kitsune pleaded as she looked out a nearby window, frowning as she scanned the city. The vivid flash of a particularly massive explosion still fresh in her mind, with the subsequent silence chilling her to the bone. "If you're okay, please! Just pick up your phone and -!" She suddenly cut herself off when the constant beeping that had been the only response she had gotten before suddenly ended, coupled with a click that indicated that someone had picked up. "Oh, thank god, Naru! It's about time!" the foxy woman cried out, her eyes going wide with excitement. "Listen, I don't know what's going on out there, but you have to -!"

"I'm sorry, but Naru slut can't come to the phone right now," came a voice that was definitely not Naru's.

"Wha -?!" Kitsune got out...just before she placed the voice, and all the color drained from her face.

"You see, she and her bitch friends had a nasty accident," the voice continued, dripping sugary-sweet venom. Then it turned mocking, hard, and dangerous as it added, "They ran into me." This chilling statement was punctuated with cruel, mocking chuckle, one that sent Kitsune's heart plummeting into her stomach, where it was then bathed in all the fear and bile that was knotting up her insides. Leaving her unable to speak, unable to do anything but stand there, imagining the horrific monster she had seen with a cruel, triumphant smirk on her face, with the broken bodies of Naru and the others lying nearby.

"Heh heh...don't worry, they're still breathing. They're not healthy...but they're breathing," the creature on the other end of the line taunted her. "After all...I'm not done having fun with them yet." Caught between hope that her friends were still alive and fear at the thought of what this creature would consider to be 'fun', Kitsune worked her jaw fearfully, trying to think of something to say or do when the jade horror, "But rest assured, once I'm done with them...I'll be coming after you, slut."

Kitsune could literally feel her heart stop at this cold, deadly statement, only for it to be sent into overdrive by a harsh crunching sound, followed quickly by static. Jumping back in terror and letting the phone fall from her hand, the normally mischievous prankster stared at it in fear, feeling as if she could see the monstrous woman staring out at her from it.

Seconds passed into minutes as Kitsune stood there, the pounding of her own heart the only thing she could hear, sounding so forcefully that it drowned out everything else, including her own capacity for thought. It wasn't until her heartbeat ebbed somewhat that she could finally think...and contemplate her own future.

_That thing...she's got Naru and the others!_ Kitsune thought, scarcely able to believe that this was actually happening. _A-and now...she's coming after me?! I -!_

Her heart seemed to jump up her throat, forcing Kitsune to swallow in order to get it back where it belonged. "Aw...oh, crap!" she breathed, if only to hear something then her own terror thundering in her chest. "I...I gotta...I have to get outta here!" she finally declared, her mind recovering enough for her to realize that, if Naru, Motoko, and Kaolla's army of Mecha-Tama had been overpowered by the green fiend, that she would not have so much as a prayer if the emerald horror made good on her threat.

_Besides, I - I have to find out for sure what happened to the gals!_ Kitsune told herself even as she frantically started towards the nearby door, unwilling to waste so much as a moment in escaping. _I - I should call somebody...maybe Haruka, or - or the police or somebody! They'll - they'll...do _something_...yeah..._

Her thoughts breaking down as a greater wave of fear made itself known, Kitsune broke into a run, hurriedly exiting the Hinata Inn. Moving faster than she had ever moved before, she left the one place she truly considered to be home behind. Her jumbled thoughts first and foremost on her own survival. Of putting as much distance between herself...and a horrendous nightmare beast that had come from seemingly out of nowhere.

_How could this even be happening?!_ Kitsune demanded as she ran down the steps. _What did I do to deserve this, anyway?!_

* * *

><p>"What did I ever do to deserve this...?" muttered Officer Gai Yamada of the Hinata City Police as he made his way through the ruined segment of the once-peaceful town. Working with his fellow officers to set up roadblocks and cordon off the latest disaster zone so that no one would get hurt trying to navigate it.<p>

"Deserve what?" responded Ayaka Yao, a good-natured rookie with a perpetually impish smile on her face. "Being on duty while those nutcases at the inn went nuts again...or just being you?"

Snorting at this snipe, the latest of many he had had to deal with since Ayaka had joined the force, Gai continued his work. "How about, being stuck in the same city as the crazy girls?" he countered with a measure of gallows humor. When his partner snorted a laugh, he sighed and continued to gripe, if only to keep from thinking about just how often he had to deal with this sort of lunacy. "I mean...I know you don't know what it was like here before they moved in, what with just transferring here this year, but..."

"Oh, great. Here it comes," Ayaka muttered, shaking her head in a bored manner as she moved to take hold of what felt like the hundredth barricade . "Another speech about how much more better everything was before those crazy girls showed up..."

Despite realizing that he had more than likely grumbled about those lunatics more than a few times in the past, Gai couldn't help but be annoyed. "It's true, you know!" he muttered sourly as he moved to join his partner. "Hinata used to be the most peaceful city you'd ever seen. Even the muggers had good manners!"

Ayaka chortled at this admitted exaggeration. "The perfect place to just take it easy until the day finally comes to collect your pension and retire, huh?"

Rolling his eyes at this bit of impertinence, Gai discarded making a snappy comeback, and instead continued

to vent his grievances. "But ever since that old bat Hina let those crazy bitches move into that Inn, it feels like this whole town is going off the deep end!" Making sounds of annoyance in his throat as he thought of the various forms of insanity he had been dealing with since that accursed day. "We've got missiles firing all over the place, we get to deal with psycho swordswomen and giant robots, not to mention that idiot of a manager crashing into buildings! I swear, it's like living in some crazy anime on drugs!"

Again, Ayaka chuckled. "Personally, I've always thought of that as one of the pluses of living here! It's why I transferred over here in the first place!" Giving Gai another of her patented smirks, she added, "It sure beats walking around, doing nothing on my beat all day long!"

"Hey, it's not like I don't want to do nothing! I became a cop for a _reason_, remember?" Gai reminded her irritably. "But, dammit! With those crazy bitches around, I feel like all I'm doing is plugging leaks in the dike instead of going after the idiots who are drilling holes in it!" Aiding his partner in putting the barricade in place, the veteran officer grumbled, "We'd save everybody a whole lot of time and grief if we could just go up to that damn Inn, arrest those crazies, and dump them in some deep, dark cell where no one will ever have to worry about them again! But _no!_ The Captain just keeps telling us to ignore them, let them do whatever stupid thing crosses their so-called minds, and this city goes to hell a bit more every day!"

Giving a 'what cant you do?' shrug, Ayaka remarked, "Well, maybe you'll get your wish this time. Because I don't think the Captain can just ignore an entire city block getting blown up."

"Hmph. I'm not gonna hold my breath," Gai muttered sourly. "I know the Captain a lot better than you do. He's a big believer in ignoring a problem until it goes away." Then he furrowed his brow and grumbled, "You know what I think? I think he's got some kind of deal with that crazy old bat, and -!"

"Hey! Officers!" came an unfamiliar voice, one that had Gai scowling and sighing and wondering what fresh hell would soon be coming his way. "Excuse me, I need some help here!"

Gai's first impulse was to tell whomever it was speaking that he was currently busy cleaning up this latest disaster and to at least give him a chance to finish his current task before badgering him with some fresh hell. But even as he entertained this impulse, an especially tempting one after everything that had happened, the veteran officer reminded himself that he was a police officer, his duty was to protect and serve the public at large, and the person speaking more than likely had had as bad a day as he had so far, if not potentially worse.

As Gai sighed wearily and prepared himself for an even longer day than he had already had, he turned to see Ayaka moving up towards a nearby woman, a brunette with short hair and a worn expression on her face. "How can we help you?"

"I'm looking for some people. My nephew and some girls," the woman explained, sounding about as tired and fed up as Gai felt. "I've looked all over the place." Then she frowned and looked past the roadblock. "At least...the places I've been able to go."

Gai didn't like the sound of that. And it was clear that Ayaka felt similarly when she asked, "You think they were...?"

As Ayaka gestured in the direction of the shattered warzone that had once been a bustling area of business, the woman replied, "The last I saw them, they were heading in that direction. And I haven't been able to get any of them on their cell phones." As Gai frowned, adding these bits of information up and arriving at the same conclusion the woman had clearly reached, she asked, "Have you heard about anybody being found hurt, or...?"

Sympathizing with the woman, Gai reported, "Well, we have medical teams scouring the area, but so far, we haven't found anybody. Hurt or otherwise." Realizing that that might have changed since he had last checked in with headquarters, he frowned in consideration. "If you want, I could call in, see if anybody's spotted any lost persons, that sort of thing."

Breathing a sigh of wearied relief, or at least as relieved as one could get under the circumstances, the woman nodded thankfully. "I'd appreciate that."

Giving a tired curl of his lip, Gai nodded and started towards his car, the sound of footsteps indicating that the woman was following him. At this tiny reminder as to why he had become a police officer in the first place, he felt a bit more spring come into his step. This was certainly better than just plugging leaks in that proverbial dike he had spoken of. This was something that could actually help someone else. And so he got in his car and picked up the radio. "Dispatch, this is Unit 54 calling."

"Dispatch here," came the guy on the other end. "Go ahead, Unit 54."

"Listen, uh...I've got a lady looking for her nephew and some girls. She says that they had been headed towards the area where that bomb or whatever went off when she last saw them," Gai reported, looking to see the woman in question standing just outside the window of his car. "Tell me, have the medical teams found anybody in there?"

"No, nobody was found _inside_ the blast zone," the dispatcher reported. "But...well, I did get a report about somebody finding a girl a few minutes ago, at the intersection of Murakama and 4th. I don't have the details, but apparently, she's stuck at the traffic lights, and she's pretty badly banged up. Like she had been in the middle of a warzone."

That certainly fit the current description of the area Gai and his partner had been cordoning off. But even as he realized this, he frowned uncertainly. "Murakama and 4th?" he repeated perplexedly. "That's a block outside the blockaded area! What the heck happened to this girl?"

"I don't know. Like I said, the details I have are pretty sketchy," the dispatcher admitted.

"Does he have a description of her?" the woman asked in a manner of someone who wasn't used to be ignored.

A beat passed as Gai repeated the question to the dispatcher. "Not really. All I know is that the medical team is having a rotten time with her," he reported with a note of amusement. "Keeps screaming for the men to stop looking at her, keep their hands off of her, calling them perverts and so on. That sort of thing."

As Gai raised an eyebrow at this, the woman groaned in a knowing fashion. "That sounds like Naru, alright..." Shaking her head as if wondering what she could have done to deserve this, she then managed a weak smile for the officer. "Is there any chance you can drive me over there? If it _is _Naru, then maybe I can get her to settle down for the people trying to help her. And then maybe she can tell me where my nephew and the others are."

It seemed reasonable enough to Gai. If this girl was kicking up as much of a fuss as the dispatcher claimed, then getting her settled down would certainly help her would-be rescuers, and the woman made some other good points as well. But at the same time, he couldn't just take off on his assigned task, no matter how dull it might be. So after giving the woman a look, he asked, "Uh, listen, dispatch? That lady I told you about? She thinks the girl you mentioned might be one of the ones she's looking for, and that she might be able to get her to calm down. Would it be alright if I drove her over, see if she can help?"

"Fine by me," the dispatcher immediately responded. "But I'm warning you, from what I've heard, getting this chick to cool down will take a major miracle."

"Hmph. Tell me about it," the woman remarked in a knowing manner.

Taking note of this statement and filing it away for the moment, Gai responded, "Understood. This shouldn't take too long." With that, he put aside the radio and opened the door. "Hey, Ayaka!" he called out, stepping partly out of the car so he could stand and look at his partner square in the eyes. "Dispatch says they might have found one of the girls this lady is looking for. I'm gonna take her over there, have her check it out. Do you want to come along?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. You know what they say about two's company, three's a crowd. Especially in a squad car." Then Ayaka flashed another of her impish smiles and added, "Besides, _somebody's _gotta finish plugging leaks in that old dike while you're off joyriding with a strange woman you just picked up!"

Wincing at this statement and wondering why in blazes his partner couldn't figure out when to shut up at times, Gai was heartened when he saw the strange woman in question giving Ayaka a scathing glare. "C'mon, let's move," she then declared, moving towards the passenger's side door. "The sooner we get there, the better."

"Fine by me," Gai replied, opening the door so that his unlikely companion could get in the car. A few seconds later, he was pulling away from the blockade in progress. Glad to be doing something that actually mattered for a change.

As the two of them drove along, Gai's unlikely companion made a sound in her throat. "By the way...thanks for helping me out with this, Officer..."

"Yamada. Gai Yamada," Gai replied evenly. Then he added, "And it's no trouble, Mrs...?"

"Haruka Urashima." Then she gave him an authoritative look and added, "_Ms. _Haruka Urashima."

Pausing at this name, thinking it somewhat familiar, Gai then shrugged and smiled before continuing to navigate the mess that had been left behind in this latest bout of destructiveness. "Tell me something, Ms. Urashima," he began, indulging in a moment of curiosity. "What in blazes were your nephew and these girls doing in the middle of a mess like this?"

"The same as always; my idiot nephew was being chased by Naru and her cohorts, letting them get away with treating him like a doormat to be stomped into the ground whenever they want," Haruka declared with a voice heavy with disdain.

Surprised by this statement, Gai gave Haruka a querulous look. "Sounds like you don't think much of this...Naru. Or her friends."

"That depends on how you define not thinking much of someone," Haruka replied. "I think they're good girls, or rather, they _could _be...if they ever got their heads out of their asses, stopped living in their own little worlds, and woke up to the fact that not everything revolves around them."

Wincing at this statement, Gai found himself chuckling somewhat. "Reminds me of some other girls I know. Except that I don't expect them to get their heads out of their asses on their own," he grumbled, thinking of all the chaos those crazies had caused. "What I wouldn't give to be able to kick them out the hard way..."

"Oh, I know _that _feeling!" Haruka remarked, giving a thoughtful shake of her head.

Chuckling in his throat at the thought of giving those miserable miscreant girls the swift kicks they so richly deserved, as well as some quality time acquainting themselves with the local jail cells, Gai made the final turn that led them towards Murakama and 4th. It didn't take him long to see that they were on the right street. It also didn't take him long to see that the dispatcher had understated matters considerably when he had given them the report.

"Sweet kame-sama...!" Gai breathed, his eyes going wide at a sight that he had never seen before, not once in all his years on the force. And it was pretty obvious that Haruka was similarly affected by what she was seeing even as the officer pulled over and parked as close as he could to the humongous mess before them.

As the two of them got out of the car, Gai surveyed the situation. The first thing to be readily noticed was the mass of rubberneckers and gawkers that ringing the intersection, looking and commenting and snapping pictures even as other police officers and medical personnel tried to keep them at bay. The next thing one noticed was the emergency medical people and other workers scurrying about, trying to take care of the mess that they were stuck with. And that mess came in the form of...

_"Stop staring at me, you perverts!"_ shrieked the girl that was at the center of all this commotion. To his Gai's astonishment, the girl was suspended above the street intersection from the cables from which the stop lights had once dangled. The girl had a cable wrapped about each wrist and ankle, and was now struggling impotently to free herself. Her predicament made even more ludicrous and humiliating by the fact that those cables were the only thing covering up any portion of her body. _"Stop it! Put away those cameras before I smash all your faces in! Somebody get me down from here!"_

The gawkers did not head the girl's request. They continued to snap pictures with their cameras and cell phones, all the while the rescue team attempted to do as the girl requested. "We're trying to!" one of the called, standing on a ladder as he tried to cut that particular cable. "If you'd just stay still -!"

_"Don't touch me, pervert!"_ the girl cried out, continuing to thrash about as another group of gawkers snapped more and more pictures. _"Stop that, you sick freaks! If you don't, I'll beat every perverted thought you ever had out of your heads, and -!"_

As the girl continued to rant and rage, Gai shook his head in amazement. "I don't believe this...!" he muttered as he watched the girl continue to thrash wildly whenever any member of the rescue team either looked her way or came close to touching her. "It's one of those crazies from that damn inn! Who'd've -?!"

_"Naru?!"_ came another voice. Looking towards it source, Gai was flummoxed to see that Haruka was staring at the girl in horrified astonishment. _"What in the -?!"_

While Gai trying to process this, the crazy girl swung her gaze towards the older woman, her eyes going wide with recognition. _"Haruka?!"_ she cried out, astonishment mixing with clear relief. "Thank goodness it's _you!_ Quick, get these perverts away from me and _get me down!"_

"Those perverts as you so call them are _trying _to get you down!" Haruka informed her, gesturing at the men and women currently struggling with the cables ensnaring the bombastic girl, as well as her own nasty attitude. "Something that would be going a lot more smoothly if you'd let them do their jobs!"

"But they're grabbing at me!" Naru whined in protested. "I can't just -!"

"You _can, _and you _will!"_ Haruka instructed the irate teen in a voice of weary exasperation. Then she gave Naru a look before adding, "How do you expect them to get you down from there without touching you or even looking at you?!"

Even as Naru whined and sputtered in response, Gai fixed Haruka with a disbelieving look. "Wait a minute…_this _is one of those girls you were looking for?!" he incredulously demanded. "She's one of those crazy girls from the Hinata Inn!"

"Believe me, I know perfectly well who she is," Haruka answered in a voice of weary resignation.

As Gai opened his mouth to speak again, the rescue team again moved to aid Naru, who responded to their efforts as well as she had everything else. _"Ack! Stop it, you perverts!"_ Swinging her gaze towards the older woman, she demanded, "Haruka! _Get these perverts away from me! Get me down from here!"_

"At this point, I'm tempted to just _leave _you up there! And tell all these poor people to do the same!" Haruka shot back, placing her hands on her hips in a stance of authority.

Her eyes widening with shock, Naru sputtered out, "Y-you _wouldn't!"_

"I can and I certainly _will _if you don't stay still and let these people do their job!" Haruka vowed in a no-nonsense manner Gai could certainly appreciate.

As Naru whined petulantly, Gai focused on the Haruka and shook his head. "I don't believe this…" he got out in a disbelieving manner. "How the hell do you know this crazy bitch?!"

_"Crazy bitch?!"_ Naru cried out, her hair-trigger temper once again overriding whatever sense she might have had. "You can't say that about me! I -!"

_"Shut it, Naru! You're in enough trouble as it is!"_ Haruka declared, stunning the bombastic bimbo and even some of the crowd into silence. With that accomplished, she focused on Gai and explained, "You asked how I know her?" When the officer nodded, she smiled wearily and explained, "I run the Hinata Café. You know, the tea place near the Inn?"

His eyes rounding with astonishment, Gai sputtered out, "You mean – you have to work with those lunatics running around?!"

"Unfortunately," Haruka muttered in a sour manner. Then she returned her attention to the ill-tempered lunatic still dangling by the wires, and noticed that she was beginning to once again struggle against her would-be saviors. "Naru! What happened to you? And where's Keitaro?"

"Who knows and who _cares_ where that pervert is?!" Naru whined. "It's all because of him that I'm in this mess!"

_"I _care!" Haruka informed her. "And you can stop trying to get away with everything by saying, 'It's all Keitaro's fault,' and -!"

"Wait a second – Urashima!" Gai declared, snapping his fingers in realization. "As in _Hina_ Urashima?! The crazy old bat who used to run the Inn?!"

"That's her. My grandmother," Haruka confirmed, looking almost ashamed at this admission. "Now, Naru, where are Motoko and Kaolla?! What happened to you all?!"

"Something attacked us, Haruka! That stupid pervert set us up!" Naru declared venomously. "We were punishing him for what he did to Shinobu when this ugly green freak showed up, and -!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second!" Haruka broke in, holding up her hands to show that she wanted Naru to pause. "Did you say…green freak?!"

"That's right! This crazy muscle girl with green skin showed up and beat us all up for no reason!" When the café owner just stood there, saying nothing to this, Naru shook her head petulantly and stated, "I – I know it must sound crazy, Haruka-san, but it's _true!_ This ugly green bitch showed up and tried to stop us from punishing the pervert! Then she beat us all up, and – Haruka, she broke my hand! She ruined Motoko's sword and wrecked all of Kaolla's robots!"

"I don't believe this…" Gai muttered to the tune of his eyes rolling. "You're telling me some kind of ogre did this to you? This isn't a damned movie, girl!"

"It's _true! _I _swear it!"_ Naru pleaded, a note of desperation appearing in her words. "Haruka, this thing – she said that she was gonna go after Kitsune after she was done with us! She might be at the Inn _right now!"_ Shaking her head miserably, her own plight apparently forgotten for the moment, the brunette continued with, "Please, you have to call her! Warn her! Make sure she's alright!"

"Alright, Naru! We'll do that right now. You just stay still," Haruka instructed her in a stern manner. "I'll call the Inn, and this nice officer here will do some checking around. See if anybody's seen this…green muscle girl."

Raising an incredulous eyebrow at this, Gai turned towards Haruka and demanded, "I will?!"

Haruka just gave him a look. "I know, it sounds nuts, but _something _had to have strung Naru up from there. And my nephew and the others are _still _missing." Then she gave Gai a mirthless smile before adding, "Besides, after some of the things I've seen running around this city, a green muscle girl doesn't seem that crazy."

Blinking a few times at this, Gai made a face and admitted, "Okay, good point." Once again glancing up at Naru, who had left the rescue team alone long enough for them to disentangle one of her arms, he sighed and shrugged in resignation. "Aw, hell…I guess it couldn't hurt to call dispatch, see if anybody else has seen this boogey girl or whatever she's supposed to be."

"And while you're doing that, I'll try to get hold of Kitsune," Haruka declared, already bringing out her cell phone. "I just wish I knew where that idiot nephew of mine was!"

* * *

><p>When Keitaro's eyes slowly fluttered open, he found himself greeted by the familiar sight of the covered hole in the ceiling of his bedroom. By the sensation of his pillow beneath his head, of the feel of his bed and blankets. Of the sight of his personal belongings, of everything that was his current home.<p>

A place that, as he gazed about perplexedly, he realized he shouldn't be in right now.

"Huh…what happened?" Keitaro wondered, trying to make sense of what was going on, of memories that had placed him elsewhere, that hold him he had recently been beaten within an inch of his life. Of being rescued by another girl, a strange girl, a girl with…

Frowning at the odd tangent his memories took, Keitaro frowned, and again looked about at his surroundings. "Was…was all that…just a dream…?" Pondering the matter for a time, he found that this explanation made sense. Certainly a great deal more sense than the notion that what he had just gone through had actually happened. And was certainly more pleasant than admitting that the brutal assault he remembered had actually taken place. "But – what time is it?" he wondered, tossing aside his blanket. "I better – huh?!"

As Keitaro looked down upon himself, his mouth popped open in surprise at the sight of the clothes he had been wearing. More importantly, clothes that showed all the signs of having been subjected to missiles and other implements of destruction. _Okay…so much for it being a dream…_ he thought ruefully, letting a woeful sigh as he thought of the consummate hatred that had been shot at him by Naru and Motoko, of the miserable ordeal he had been through. _Or at least, I know _that _part of it wasn't a dream. But…what about the rest of it?_

As Keitaro frowned in thought, he reconstructed the events before he had woken up in bed. _I remember Kaolla shooting all those missiles at me, and…then that girl showed up, and…_ Then he frowned, for everything that happened after that was hazy to the point where he simply couldn't make sense of anything. _Maybe…I got hit by those missiles after all, and…everything that happened after that…_that _was the dream?_

It made sense, Keitaro eventually decided. As much sense as anything in this place ever did. And certainly more sense than a drop-dead gorgeous woman with green skin that could give bodybuilders around the world major competition suddenly appearing from out of nowhere to come to his rescue. _Too bad, though. She seemed pretty nice,_ he found himself ruefully thinking. _But – aw, who am I kidding? What would any girl like that be doing, trying to help me, anyway? I must be –_

The sound of Keitaro's door sliding open cut off his inner musings, and was promptly followed by a feminine voice saying, "Oh, good! You're awake!" Whipping his eyes about at this, the perpetual ronin gaped in astonishment at the sight of the woman he had just been consigning as little more than a figment of his overactive imagination. "I was starting to worry!"

"Wha-?!" Keitaro started, his eyes bulging out from behind his glasses as the green-skinned he thought he had dreamt up approached him, smiling happily as she carried a tray laden with food up to him. Only now, she was wearing a familiar yellow turtleneck shirt and red skirt, with both items of clothing stretched out to maximum capacity, straining to conceal both bulging masses of muscle and a set of female assets that would put Naru's to shame.

"Don't worry, you're perfectly safe now!" the girl assured him, still smiling as she set the tray down next to him. "Here, I thought you might be hungry, so I whipped up something nice for you to eat!"

"Uh…" Keitaro gaped, becoming more and more confused. The fact that this girl was in fact real was surprising enough. But the fact that a woman, _any _woman, would brave the kind of danger she had, defend him against Naru and the others, and was now cooking for him seemed even more incredible than that.

"Now, go on! Eat up!" the green girl beamed happily, gesturing at the delectable meal that she had apparently prepared.

Still barely able fathom that this might actually be really happening, Keitaro looked from the girl to the food and back, before nervously clearing his throat. There was still so much that he couldn't remember or make sense of, and at that moment, he could only think of one way of clarifying things. "Um…excuse me, Miss…?" When the emerald girl gave him a querulous look, he gave an uneasy smile before proceeding. "I'm sorry, I…I'm a little confused. I mean…would you mind…answering a few questions?"

"Of course not!" the girl promptly answered, still smiling away.

Nodding to this, Keitaro felt a bit of relief that, for the moment at least, the girl remained amiable. _Still, I better be careful about what I ask her! _he reminded himself, taking full note of the massive musculature that was straining away at Naru's clothes, even though the girl was now completely still. _I don't want her getting mad at me! I just _know_ she could hit me a lot harder than Naru can!_

Not even wanting to think about what a Naru punch from this girl would be like and how far away it would launch him, Keitaro heaved a deep breath and took the plunge. "You see…well...uh...that all happened, right?" he started uncertainly, scratching the back of his head. "You know - Naru and the others attacking me, and you...you saved me, right?"

"That's right!" the girl declared enthusiastically, flexing with her right arm. A broad grin appearing on her face when a mighty emerald bicep burst through the fabric for all the world to see. "I can't tell you how long I've been looking forward to giving those bitches a taste of their own medicine!"

Taking this response and filing its import away for future questions, Keitaro proceeded to the next matter at hand. "And...I'm guessing you're the one who...brought me back here?"

"Right again!" Before Keitaro could ask his next question, the girl nudged the tray closer to him. "Now, please, eat! You don't want it to get cold!"

At the moment, Keitaro was more confused than hungry, but at the same time, there was no doubt that he had had a bad day, and the meal in question looked like some excellent comfort food, all made up of dishes he enjoyed a great deal. _Besides, I don't want to make her feel bad. Not after she made this for me,_ he decided, again glancing at her extraordinary physique. _And I _definitely _don't want her mad at me!"_

"Okay," Keitaro said aloud, picking up the chopsticks. After taking a moment to study the delicacies before him, he eventually settled on one of the grilled vegetables in evidence. Carefully raising it up, he then popped it into his mouth, chewed for a moment...only for his eyes to wide with delight. Chewing it thoroughly, he swallowed before directing a smile at his unlikely hostess. "Wow! This is really good!"

"I _knew _you'd like it!" the green woman declared, smiling even more happily. "Now, go on! Eat!"

Getting caught up in the green woman's eagerness to please, Keitaro decided that he might as well go along with this situation. And so he began sampling other delicacies she had prepared for him. "You sure...know how to cook," he decided around a mouthful of good cooking. Pausing to swallow, he studied the girl before him for a time before asking, "Uh, you don't mind if I talk while I eat, do you? Because, I...I still have a lot of questions for you, and..."

"Sure! Go right ahead!" the girl brightly returned.

A part of him starting to think that his caution about this strange, green woman was unwarranted, and another part reminding him that his luck with women in general was fickle and quick to desert him, Keitaro decided that he could risk getting a bit bolder with his questioning, but not too much bolder. "So...anyway, I...I hope you don't take this wrong way, but...who exactly are you?" he nervously wondered. "I mean...you know me, and...you seem to know Naru and the others..."

This question seemed to catch the girl off guard. "You don't...recognize me?" she got out, her expression one of consummate surprise. "Really?"

"Uh...should I?" Keitaro nervously asked, getting the distinct impression that he had just screwed up. "I'm sorry, it's just...well...I've never seen a girl with green skin before! I mean, in person, that is, and...!"

As Keitaro trailed off, hoping against hoping that he was not about to be sent into Low Earth Orbit, the girl made a sound of realization. "Oh, right! _That!"_ A thoughtful expression appeared on the girl's face, followed by a smile, but a different one from before. It was the smile of someone who looked as if she had been presented with a golden opportunity. "Well...I guess I can understand that," she eventually mused, before striking a pose and flexing both her arms, popping open the other sleeve as she did so. "After all, I didn't always have the green skin. Or the guns that came with it!"

Giving a nervous chuckle at this, Keitaro then frowned. "So...are you someone I know?" he asked, more confused and curious. "What's your name?"

"Hmm...yeah, you know me. And more importantly, I know you. And as for my name..." The girl again trailed off, placing her hand to her chin in a thoughtful manner. "Let's see now...I know! Why don't you call me Jade?" Letting out a tiny chuckle at this, emerald woman gave a tiny toss of her dark green hair before stating, "I think it fits. Don't you?"

Decidedly unsatisfied by this evasive non-answer, as well as the fact that it was being used to hide something from him, Keitaro smiled nervously, still unwilling to risk antagonizing this woman. "Uh, yeah. It...suits you." When she again chuckled, he took another sampling of his meal before trying a different tact. "So...anyway, I remember you...you shielded me from those missiles, and...I passed out, right?"

Her expression souring, Jade muttered, "Yeah. Those stupid bitches must've really beat you up bad." Then she smirked dangerously before adding, "Not as badly as I beat _them _up, though!"

Getting a bad feeling about that, Keitaro tried to keep a frown from his face and asked, "So...how'd you get there to help me, anyway?" Then he narrowed his eyes and asked, "For that matter...how'd you know I was in trouble?"

"How'd I get there? Well, I _ran, _silly! Really fast, too!" With this declaration, Jade shifted about so as to better display her thickly muscled legs. "As for how I knew you needed my help..." Sporting a smile that could only be labeled as being seductive, the emerald Amazon cocked her head to the side and shrugged. "I just...did."

Another evasive non-answer, and again, it pertained to Jade's relationship to Keitaro, to her knowing what she knew about him. _She must live pretty close by here. Close enough so that she saw me getting chased by Naru and the others. It's the only thing that makes sense, _the hapless manager decided. _And she said that she didn't always look like this...could she be somebody from town? Somebody...I know?_

It was the only thing that made any sense, and it wasn't as if Keitaro hadn't encountered similar situations in the past. He had seen Kaolla as an adult, a transformation of both mind and body that occurred as a result of being exposed to the light of the red moon. So if this girl was someone he knew, someone that had somehow been transformed in some way, then that would explain a great deal. _But who?_ Keitaro again wondered. _It's obvious she doesn't want me to know who she is, but...maybe I can find out...if I'm careful._

Knowing that would be the difficult part, Keitaro asked, "So...what happened then? I...I remember waking up at one point, and getting hit by...it looked like an explosion, and...well, then I saw you, and..."

"What happened was me giving those vicious sluts the beating they deserved!" Jade declared with great enthusiasm, driving her fist into her other hand. As Keitaro slowly ate, she described with great relish the battle, and in extensive detail, particularly in regards to their failures to try and defeat her. "...and then kendo bitch brought down a bunch of power lines on me, and the little Molmol bimbo tried to take me out by blowing up all her little toys in my face!" Then she smirked triumphantly, spreading herself out even more so as to show off her figure. "Needless to say, it didn't work."

"Yeah, I...noticed," Keitaro gulped around his latest mouthful, nervously considering the ramifications of this tale. Even assuming that Jade was exaggerating somewhat, he had experienced that blast firsthand, even if he hadn't been in the best of condition to determine its full force. And if she had been at ground zero for that, then not only was she strong, but she was at least as durable as he was, probably even more so. And was more and more the kind of girl he did _not _want to annoy. "And...then what happened?"

"Well, those dumb bitches thought I was dead. At least, until I stepped out of the smoke and gave them a good look at me!" Jade laughed wickedly at this. "I wish you could have seen the look on their stupid faces when they saw me! I thought Naru was gonna shit a brick!" Somewhat perturbed by this declaration, Keitaro simply looked on as his hostess smiled knowingly. "Anyway, they didn't last much longer after that. I put all three bitches down before they even knew they were doomed!"

_Okay, it's obvious that, whoever you are, you _definitely_ hate Naru and the others,_ Keitaro decided. _You're aggressive, you like fighting...though are you like that normally, or just now?_ It was a good question, and key in identifying who Jade truly was. So he tried something else. "And...what then?" Giving her a worried look, he asked, "You didn't...kill them or anything, did you?"

"Of course not!" Jade assured him, giving Keitaro cause for relief. "Though it's not like anybody would miss 'em if I _had!"_ Wincing at the sheer amount of venom in the emerald Amazon's words, the ronin was quick to take note of the frown she sported as she asked, "Why do you ask?"

"Well...I just want to know...what happened while I was out of it." Realizing how lame this sounded, even to himself, Keitaro then gestured towards Jade and added, "Besides, your clothes...they look exactly like Naru's, so...I was wondering..."

Unsure of whether or not the green woman would accept this, Keitaro was relieved when Jade nodded her comprehension. "You noticed that, huh?" Then she shrugged and explained, "Well, my old clothes kinda got blown up by those stupid robots exploding. And I couldn't exactly go running around naked, so I had to...borrow some of her things." Then came that seductive smile of hers as she added, "Besides, I think they look better on me than they ever did on her."

Once again, Keitaro felt somewhat out of his depth. He really wasn't at all used to the notion of a woman being flirtatious with him. The only time he ever had to deal with this was when Kitsune was setting him up for her amusement or to bilk him for money. Again wondering if this was what Jade was like naturally, or if this was a circumstance of her condition, he was about to continue trying to get more information when she spoke herself. "You know something, Keitaro?" she asked, a mischievous twinkling to her emerald eyes. "Something just occurred to me."

"Huh? What's that?" Keitaro wondered.

"That I saved your life today, brought you back to your home and got you all tucked into bed so you can rest, and even cooked a nice meal for you to enjoy," Jade explained, looking more and more like the proverbial cat that had eaten the canary, "and you never even thanked me for any of that."

Blinking a few times at this, Keitaro very nearly flew from his bed in shock when he realized that his apparent savior was correct. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry!" he cried out in dismay before dropping down on his hands and knees, rapidly bowing before Jade. "You're right! I apologize! I - I -!"

The sound of kindly, genuinely mirthful laughter cut through Keitaro's panicked babbling and his frenzied bowing. Prompting him to look up, and to his amazement, see Jade chuckling pleasantly. "No, no, don't worry, Keitaro! I'm not mad at you!," she quickly assured him. "I know you've had a rough day; it's only natural you'd forget about something like that after everything you've been through."

Once again, Keitaro found himself stunned. This was not at all like his dealings with other girls, not even close. "Are...are you sure...?" he asked, on the brink of fainting from disbelief. "Y-you're not mad...at all...?"

"Not even slightly." Even as Keitaro was swooning in relief, Jade leaned in a bit closer, showing off a set of brilliantly white teeth as she added, "But...I still would like you to thank me."

Now Keitaro felt like he was on slightly more familiar territory, and it wasn't pleasant territory. This was starting to feel like some of his dealings with Kitsune, for it was obvious to him that Jade wanted more than a simple 'thank you' for her efforts. But as he had no idea of what that could be, all he could do was get up on his knees and look his benefactor in the eye. "Oh, well...uh..." he began hesitantly, wishing he had a better idea of what to do. "Then...thank you?"

Cocking her head to the side, Jade narrowed her eyes in an almost predatory manner. "Actually, I was thinking of a...different kind of thank you," she informed him, leaning in even closer, her lips puckering ever so slightly. "Something a bit more like -"

Jade froze in place, her eyes widening somewhat as her mouth popped open in a gasp of shock. But before Keitaro could even wonder what she was about to say, the emerald woman roared out in pain, flinging herself up to her feet. _"Gaaaaaahhhhhh!"_ she cried out, balling her hands into fists as she staggered backwards. _"Nooo!"_

For a moment, Keitaro wondered what he had done wrong. But as Jade tottered badly, very nearly falling over, he realized that what was going on had nothing to do with him. "What's wrong?!" he cried out worriedly, jumping to his feet as he gingerly approached her, careful not to get too closed as she thrashed about in clear agony. "What the -?!"

_"Noooooo!" _Jade shrieked even more determinedly, bringing her hands to her head and digging her nails into her scalp. _"No! I don't want to go back to that! Not that again!"_

Before Keitaro could wonder what she was talking about, his eyes widened in surprise when he noticed that the emerald woman was no longer emerald. Her skin was lightening, becoming a much paler green, even as her massive musculature slowly shrank, steam rising up from her tormented form. _Omigosh...I was right! It _is_ some kind of transformation! _he gaped, watching in horrified amazement, unsure what if anything he could do to help. _She - she must be changing back! Going back to - to whoever she was before!_

And as Keitaro watched, he became more certain that he was correct. Jade was quickly becoming smaller, both in mass and in height. Grunting and groaning and fighting a losing battle to remain as she was, she soon felt to her hands and knees. Naru's turtleneck shirt and shirt, once pressed to the limits by her powerful body, were becoming almost tent-like as she continued to shrink, her skin fading from lime green to a sickly yellow to a more normal human skin tone. The last thing to really change was her hair, which shifted hue from a dark green to an equally dark blue…and remained that way.

_Wait a second – blue hair?! _Keitaro thought, gaping as the transformation reached its completion, leaving a small girl on her crumbled before him, heaving tormented breaths of agony and exhaustion. _But – the only person I know with blue hair – could it be -?!_

His mouth opening and closing seemingly at random, Keitaro stared in amazement at the girl before him, unable and perhaps unwilling to make the mental leap, despite the evidence mounting within his mind. It wasn't until the girl that had once been Jade looked up somewhat, a tiny spark of emerald energy twinkling away from her naturally blue eyes, that he was left with no choice but to make that leap, and cry out, "Sh-Sh-_Shinobu?!"_

Looking up in surprise at the sound of her own name, Shinobu locked gazes with Keitaro, still breathing heavily, with an expression of fear and confusion on her face. "S…sempai…?" she gasped weakly, glancing down at herself before again looking at him. "Wh-what's…happening to me…?"

Keitaro had absolutely no idea. And for a long while, he was strongly tempted to just pass out again, rather than deal with the latest batch of insanity that was life at the Hinata Inn.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Well, Keitaro has learned Shinobu's little secret. So who will be next to be let in on it? Please, read and review! And would you be so kind as to look at some of my other stories?<p>

I'm sorry to cut off here, but I felt that, what with everything that's going to be happening as a result of this particular disaster, it made better sense to break it up into smaller chapters. So don't worry, you'll be learning of Motoko's and Kaolla's fates soon enough.

In regards to why I had Shinobu's transformed self call herself Jade as opposed to She-Hulk, the answer to that is simple; at this time, nobody else is really aware of the Hulk's existence. That's something that's going to come up in a future chapter. Besides, in one of the alternate Marvel timelines, She-Hulk is known as the Jade Giantess. So I figured that Shinobu's other self deciding on Jade as a name worked nicely.

StraightedgeWingZero, at this point, Shinobu is somewhere between Bruce and Jennifer. She cannot control her transformation, but her other self is more like She-Hulk in that her inhibitions are loosened and so on.

Guest, hmm, Nyamo as a Red She-Hulk...that's a possibility...

Engelmohr2004, I do agree that Keitaro hates fighting and will not approve of what Shinobu does. But I can't help but feel that he would acknowledge that Shinobu did possibly save his life, and that her heart was certainly in the right place.

Sir Knight Silvayne, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who thought Shinobu hulking out was a good idea. And while I do have more than a few stories to write, I will not ignore this one. And indeed, it is refreshing to have Shinobu tell Naru and her cohorts that she's done tolerating their abusiveness. And don't worry, I don't mind you writing your review in caps.

abusemastergamer45, I agree that Shinobu and Kanako are among Keitaro's best pairing options.  
>I would also include Kitsune and Motoko on the condition that they were to clean up their acts and turn over a new leaf. Both Shinobu and Kanako really do love Keitaro, and both the age gap and her status as an adopted sibling are negligible concerns in my mind.<p>

J.V. Hart, indeed it was vicious, but I can't help but think that, given that in Naru's twisted mind that Keitaro had attacked a badly injured Shinobu, that her reaction and thus that of the others would be proportionately nastier. And indeed, no matter Naru's issues, she has no right to treat others as shabbily as she does. And I'll be tackling Motoko and Kaolla's issues later on. And don't be so surprised. Even though her inhibitions were loosened as a result of her transformation, I can't imagine Shinobu being a killer.

MAS, well, Suu will basically be getting as good as she gives. But after she recovers from this fiasco, expect for her to spend a lot of time in her lab. I do agree that she needs to learn that her actions have consequences, for herself and those around her. And agreed, Keitaro and Shinobu is my favorite Love Hina pairing.

NIGHTMARE20XX, I do agree that a lot of the pairings in anime make no sense at all, with the guy in question falling for a Tsundere Psycho frequently having my eyes rolling. I'm not that big a fan of Mutsumi, but Shinobu is definitely an ideal match for Keitaro IMO. And to be honest, I've always had a huge problem with the treatment Keitaro gets. Abusive and cruelty is not funny in my eyes. Never has been, never will be, and that's how I portray it in my works.

Vassman, having a beat down severed to those deserving of it was one of the big reasons I started writing this story. But don't worry, this is far from the last bit of payback Naru will be getting for her sadism. And don't worry, I already have plans in the works for Motoko's redemption.

pensuka, I'd expect that they would completely flip out if they learned Shinobu was the monster.

Wittmann the Tiger Ace, I'm sorry you feel that way. But I don't see how accurate portrayal of Naru and her cohorts qualifies as bashing.

Hektols, that symbolism was always present in my mind as I was setting up for this battle. I especially loved the notion of Naru breaking her hand while trying to punch someone. A very nice case of Hoist By Your Own Petard, if I do say so. And having Keitaro wake up as a result of the destruction was always part of my plans.

Gijinka Renamon, I hope you enjoyed seeing what Shinobu did to Naru here.

HotelKatz, agreed, there is plenty of blame to go around at the Hinata Inn. But I intend for Haruka to start making amends by helping to clean up this mess with Keitaro. As for that demented old bad Granny Hina...I'll deal with her later on.

Kamen Rider Chrome, Naru got that treatment. As for the others, you'll have to wait and see.

Lazruth, considering the fact that Naru and her cohorts never learn from their mistakes and constantly blame Keitaro for everything, I would say that they aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed. Though to be fair, I imagine it would be awfully hard to imagine sweet little Shinobu as a rampaging Gammazon. Don't worry, more punishment coming for Naru and the others.

The Sinful, I haven't read the manga, but I agree with you about the anime. The girls have no right to walk all over Keitaro, just because they are girls. Sexism and discrimination, regardless of who it is directed at, will always be wrong.


	7. Shinobu's Confession

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything belonging to Marvel Comics or anything associated with it. I have written this story solely because I enjoy writing.

Chapter 7: Shinobu's Confession

_What's happening to me...?!_ Shinobu silently asked, over and over again as she continuously looked back and forth between her own, frail body to Keitaro and back again. Unable to believe that this pale little body that she was now in had once been the shapely, powerfully muscled body that had belonged to the girl that had called herself Jade.

That just a few seconds ago, Shinobu had _been_ Jade. Both in body and soul.

_But - how?!_ Shinobu wailed inwardly as she tried to process the sudden, drastic change that she had just gone through. _Why - I - I wasn't - why did I - how -?!_

"Shinobu...?!" Keitaro spoke again, the perpetual ronin's expression mirroring the blue-haired girl's own astonished confusion. "You - _you're _Jade?!"

_"No!"_ Shinobu instinctively protested. Only to wince as she again looked down at herself, at the tattered clothing that the green Amazon had stolen from Naru. At the memories floating through her mind that confirmed that she had been that unstoppable, implacable force of destruction. "I mean - I don't know, sempai! I - I don't understand - I - !"

As Shinobu's voice gave out beneath the enormity of what was happening to her, Keitaro brought his hands to his face, only to run them back over his head as he turned and paced one way, then the other. It was obvious that he felt almost as out of his depth as Shinobu did, and the way he rambled incoherently beneath his breath did nothing to reassure her. "I - oh - okay! Okay!" he finally got out as he turned and bent down to look the girl in the face. "Um - Shinobu...do you...know what happened? I mean...you do remember...Jade, right?"

Shinobu's first impulse was to deny this. She was scared and confused and felt weak and hollowed out, especially after her experiences as Jade. The sheer power that had flowed through her veins, the absolute confidence and fearlessness, all of it gone with her return to her own mind and body. Leaving her to struggle with the memories of what she had done during the time when she had effectively been someone else.

But the truth was that she _did _remember; she doubted that she would ever forget what she had experienced as Jade. Of having all her fears, self-doubts, insecurities melted away as she had shed the form of Shinobu in favor of the green-skinned Amazon. Of possessing a body that allowed her to act out her desire of protecting Keitaro from his attackers and abusers. Of being able to entice him, of coming so close to...

"I...yes..." Shinobu finally got out, giving a shaky nod as her cheeks colored at the way her thoughts had been drifting. "I...I remember...I..."

"Hey, you don't have to be scared!" Keitaro quickly assured her, though it was clear that he was far from being calm himself. "I'm just...trying to figure this out, that's all. You understand?" Responding with another shaky nod, Shinobu listened intently as the klutzy manager asked, "Now...what happened to you, anyway? How did this...this...?"

"I - I don't know, sempai!" Shinobu sputtered out. "I - after the - Haruka-san and the others...ran off after you..."

"Aunt Haruka was chasing after me as well?!" Keitaro blurted out, his face falling in shock. When Shinobu instinctively nodded in confirmation, the perpetual ronin sagged in dismay. "Oh, no...she must really be mad at me..."

"No, no! Not you!" Shinobu quickly assured him. "She was mad at Naru and the others! She was going after _them,_ not you! She wanted to _stop _them! Really!" As Keitaro's eyes bulged in clear surprise, the blue-haired girl lowered her gaze somewhat. "Uh...anyway, before she left, Haruka-san told Kitsune to take me to my room, but...she didn't care, sempai! She didn't care that Naru and the others were after you! And later, after I'd - I'd changed, Kitsune was up on the roof with a beer, watching everything and _enjoying it!_ She was acting like -!"

"Shinobu, please! Just and relax!" Keitaro urged her even as some of the rage she had felt from before returned to her. "Now...don't skip ahead or anything. I need you to tell me exactly how this happened. Alright?" When the blue-haired girl nodded once more, he heaved a heavy breath. "Now, you said Kitsune was taking you to your room?"

Nodding once more, Shinobu went on to say, "Yes, but...I didn't want to be with her. She just...didn't care, just...kept acting like what the others were doing to you was nothing..." Again, a spark of anger hit her before she forced herself to continue. "So she went to get a drink, and...I just kept going. But...I was hurting so much and..."

"Ohmigosh, I forgot about that!" Keitaro exclaimed, startling Shinobu into giving him a perplexed look. "Your injuries! I should -!" Then the clumsy manager cut himself as he quickly glanced over the blue-haired girl, scanning her exposed flesh. "Wait - you - you were hurt, and now...!"

"Oh, right!" Shinobu got out, realizing what Keitaro meant. "I...I don't know how it happened, sempai! I - it's like I said! I was hurting and everything, and then...I just couldn't take it anymore! I was so upset about what Naru and the others were doing to you! So I just...started yelling and pounding on the wall, and then -!"

"And..._that's _when you...changed?" Keitaro gathered. When Shinobu nodded, he asked, "And...is that what healed you?"

"I - yes," Shinobu nodded. "I...Jade...I wasn't really...paying attention to that. All I know is that - all of sudden, I wasn't hurting anymore. I felt so big and powerful, and...I was so mad at them, and -!"

Holding up his hands, Keitaro nodded, "And...that's when you went after them, right?"

"Uh...yeah." Then Shinobu grimaced and added, "I...um...sorta...broke...a few things when I went after them, though."

"Broke a few things?" Keitaro repeated, looking mildly surprised. "What kind of things?"

"Um...like a wall..." Shinobu admitted, squirming about sheepishly. "And...when I saw Kitsune, I - Jade - kinda threw a...tree at her." As Keitaro's eyes bulged in horror, she shrank back from him. "I - didn't actually hit her, sempai! But...I think the tree is still...stuck in the terrace..."

Several seconds passed as Keitaro processed this, only to groan and bring his hand to his forehead. "Oh...I see..." he moaned, doubtlessly imagining the time it would take to make repairs, not to mention the cost of said repairs. Giving a pained shake of his head, the perpetual ronin heaved a weary sigh before again focusing on Shinobu. "So...how did this happen, anyway? I mean...you've never...changed like this before, right?"

"No! Never!" Shinobu immediately protested.

"Then - how did this happen?!" Keitaro demanded. "I mean - people don't just change like this! Something _must've _caused it!" Pausing to take a long, deep cleansing breath, he gave her a look that was caught between desperation and compassion. "Don't you have..._any _idea what might have caused you to...?"

"N-no, sempai! I just don't -!" Then realization exploded in Shinobu's mind, causing her to let out a slow gasp before groaning despondently. "Oh, no..."

After a few moments, Keitaro asked, "What? What is it?"

"I...I just remembered something, sempai..." Shinobu got out, again squirming before Keitaro. "I...I think I know how this happened..." As the managed took a sharp intake of air and leaned in closer to study her, she sheepishly began, "You...remember when I went down into Koalla's lab? To find out what she was up to down there?"

"Yeah, I remember." Then his entire face became one big frown as he asked, "Why? Did something happen down there?"

"Umm...yeah..." Shinobu squeamishly admitted. "You remember that green slime that I told you about?" When Keitaro nodded, the blue-haired girl shifted about uneasily. "Well...it's like this..."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe this is happening to me...!" Naru wailed for what felt like the umpteenth time. Visibly forcing herself not to fight back as the rescue personnel worked to free her from her humiliating predicament.<p>

_Neither can I..._ Haruka groused inwardly as she watched from a safe distance. For what felt like forever, she had been doing her best to keep Naru from lashing out at her would-be rescuers, using a combination of kind words and outright threats to keep from her lashing out at them even as they liberated her from the cables that suspended her over the streets. So far, they had managed to cut one of her legs free, and were making good progress on the other one. They had managed to wrap a blanket about her, which afforded the volatile brunette some modesty, but did nothing to salvage her pride as people continued to snap pictures and record her humiliation.

_Honestly, how can _anyone_, even Keitaro put up with this kind of bullshit?!_ Haruka asked herself once more, rolling her eyes at her nephew's idiocy. _Even the most hardened masochist alive wouldn't be able to -!_

"I see," came the voice of Gai, the police officer that had driven Haruka there. "Well, thanks, dispatch. I'll give her the news." Even as the tea house matron looked about, she saw the wearied officer give her a look that would have soured milk chocolate. "It looks like that crazy bitch's story isn't as crazy as I thought. It turns out that a bunch of people saw this ogre girl running through town. Some folks claim she even threw a car into the top floor of a skyscraper!"

"After seeing some of the stuff I've seen, I wouldn't be surprised," Haruka replied, still unwilling to reveal that she herself had been witness to the green girl and this particular feat. It was painfully obvious that Gai was still having a great deal of difficulty accepting any of this, and given that he had been cooperative and very helpful to her thus far, she didn't want to do anything that might have him lumping her into the same category of crazy as Naru and the others. "What about the other girls? Any sign of them yet?"

"No, no sign of that kendo crazy or that robot freak," Gai admitted. "But I think I should tell you that another girl came down to police headquarters, claiming that this...ogre girl attacked her at the Hinata Inn."

Jolted by this revelation, Haruka looked at the officer with wide-eyed horror. "I-is she alright?!" she quickly asked, fear clenching at her heart as she imagined Shinobu at the mercy of the monstrosity she had seen earlier. "Wh-who was it? Do you know who it was?!"

"Yeah, I know," Gai grumbled irritably. "A bimbo by the name of Mitsune. I've had to pick her up a few times and dump her in the drunk tank." Snorting his disdain, the officer went on to grumble, "According to dispatch, if it weren't for the fact that we've already been getting reports about that ogre girl from credible witnesses, they'd've thought this girl saw that thing in a bottle." A beat passed before he added, "Let's just say she failed the breathalyzer test."

"That sounds like Kitsune," Haruka muttered before focusing on the other issue at hand. "But - did she have anybody else with her? There was one other girl at the Inn; thirteen years old, blue hair..."

"No, the drunk showed up alone," Gai confirmed. "Apparently, that ogre girl put a real scare into her, and she beat it out of the Inn as fast as possible." Growling in disgust at this, Haruka made a mental note to scream loudly and repeatedly at Kitsune for this the next time she saw her when the officer went on to say, "But get this; the drunk came into the station, demanding protection and insisting that we try and find her friends. Apparently, the ogre girl said that she had done something to them, and that after she was done, she would come after the drunk as well."

Frowning slightly, Haruka glanced over at Naru, who was now down on the ground with the rescue workers cutting her arms free of the remaining two cables. "Well, we know that this girl got to Naru at least, so I think it's safe to say that she also got to Motoko and Koalla," she grumbled, feeling not the least bit of sympathy for them. "But that doesn't tell us where they are! Or what happened to my nephew or if Shinobu's safe!" Pausing to consider the matter for a time, Haruka asked, "Has anybody else reported seeing anything happening at the Hinata Inn? Anything strange, or...?"

"'Anything strange?' Ms. Urashima, are you kidding me?!" Gai demanded. "Strange is about the only thing anybody _ever _sees around there! We got giant robot turtles, psycho samurai wannabes, and your nephew performing his human cannonball act at least once a week, and usually a lot more than that! It's gotten to the point where nobody even bothers calling it in anymore!"

Wincing at the validity of Gai's point, Haruka groaned before again looking over at Naru. "Still...I think we should check the Inn. Make sure that Shinobu's safe, and see if that thing really _was _there," she soon decided. "Can you drive me over there? Or maybe send a couple officers to check things out?"

"I can take you there myself and look things over. Just as soon as we're done here, and that Naru girl is being carted off to the nearest hospital!" Gai told her, giving the hotheaded brunette a sadistic look of satisfaction.

Nodding to this, Haruka sighed as she looked over Naru. _I don't like this. Anybody who can send a car flying that is someone I wouldn't want to pick a fight with. And if she did this to Naru, then..._ the cafe matron thought, giving a slight shudder. For while Haruka didn't care for the attitudes and antics of the girls Granny Hina had let run wild in the Hinata Inn, that didn't mean she wanted them dead or beaten in this way. _I just hope Shinobu's safe! And that Motoko and Koalla aren't any worse off than Naru is!_

* * *

><p>"So...let me see if I've got this straight," Keitaro began, speaking as carefully as he could as he tried to grasp the situation. "When Koalla's robots malfunctioned, they started attacking each other with tubes of that green stuff." When Shinobu gave a quick nod, he continued with, "And they eventually broke open the tubes, and you got sprayed with it." Again, the blue-haired girl nodded. "Then these other robots came along and cleaned the slime off of you, and <em>that's <em>when you got out of Koalla's lab?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, sempai!" Shinobu hurriedly apologized with a quick bow of her head. "But - I thought I was okay! That is, I felt a little itchy after that, but - that was it!" Then she pressed her lips together, twiddling her fingers as she added, "And...I was afraid if Naru and the others found out about that..."

As Shinobu trailed off, Keitaro nodded, knowing full well what that would have meant for him; Naru Punches and Air-Splitting Swords by the dozen. "I see," he murmured with a thoughtful nod. "I -"

"I _really _am sorry about all this, sempai!" Shinobu pleaded sadly. "If - if I'd known this would happen, I..."

"Hey, that's alright. You _couldn't_ have known! How could _any _of us have seen this coming?!" Keitaro assured her. When Shinobu continued to kneel there, a look of sadness and shame on her face, the perpetual ronin decided to move on. "Look...we'll take care of this. I don't know how, but...we'll find some way to take care of everything. But...for right now, I still have a few more questions that I need to ask you." Watching as the blue-haired girl nodded, he took a breath before proceeding. "Now...what happened out there? You - Jade told me about what happened when she fought Naru and the others, but you - she didn't say what she did with them after it was over. And..." Trailing off into a groan as he gestured at the ruined garments that Shinobu currently wore, he cleared his throat before taking a different tact. "So...what happened to the others? And what about Kitsune? Did...Jade, did she...?"

"Uh, no! I - Jade - didn't do anything to Kitsune! At least, not after - you know...the tree?" As Keitaro nodded, again wincing as he thought of what this latest batch of repairs would do to the Hinata Inn's budget, Shinobu proceeded with, "When she - I - brought you back here, Kitsune...she was already gone! I guess she must've...run off somewhere."

_Can't say I can blame her for that!_ Keitaro thought with ill humor, recalling full well the powerful build Shinobu had sported as Jade, as well as her gleeful narration as to how she had bested Naru and the others in battle. "So what about Naru, Motoko, and Koalla?" he asked worriedly. "Jade - she didn't...hurt them, did she?"

The way Shinobu winced at this did not say good things to Keitaro. "Ugh...well...she didn't...hurtthem any more than she...already had..." she hesitantly replied, setting off more alarm bells in his mind. "But...I - she...wanted to...pay them back for...always hurting you, so...she decided to...punish them..."

"Punish them? How?" Keitaro asked, growing more alarmed. "Where are they?"

"Well...Jade, she...left Naru at some street crossing - I don't remember which one," Shinobu admitted, looking increasingly anxious. "When she...got there, she...ripped down the cables for the stoplights. Then she..."

When Shinobu paused to gulp loudly, Keitaro's bad feeling increased several times over. "Then she...what?"

Shifting about on the floor, unable to meet the ronin's gaze, Shinobu again gulped. "She...strung Naru up with them by her...wrists and ankles. And...left her there...naked..." she confessed in a small voice, causing Keitaro's eyes to bulge. "The last I - Jade - saw of her, a bunch of people were snapping pictures of her and...other stuff..."

As his imagination painted the image of such an event in his mind, Keitaro fell backwards in shock. "She did _what?!"_

_"I'm sorry!"_ Shinobu pleaded of him, practically falling to her hands and knees as she bowed her head. "I - I didn't...!"

Wincing at the sight of the kindly girl effectively groveling for forgiveness, Keitaro felt his stomach tying itself in knots as he waved his hands in negation. "No no no, you don't have to do that!" he sputtered out. "Nobody's blaming you for this! Honestly! I'm just...trying to figure out what's going on, that's all!" When Shinobu remained on her hands and knees, he took a moment to look at her, remind himself that Naru was nowhere around to pummel him for something that wasn't what it looked like, and gently placed his hands on the blue-haired girl's shoulders. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything," he vowed as Shinobu looked up to meet his gaze. "But - while what's happening isn't your fault, you're the only one who has any idea what happened to the others. And...well, if they're...hurt or something, I need your help to find them. So...please, Shinobu..."

Several seconds passed as Shinobu looked up at Keitaro, her eyes watering somewhat. "I...I'm sorry, sempai. I didn't mean to..."

"I know you didn't," Keitaro assured her in as gentle a manner as he could. "But...please. What happened to Motoko and Koalla? Are they alright?"

Several seconds passed before a drop of sweat rolled down Shinobu's face. "Um...well, they're okay..." she replied, averting her eyes. "But...well..."

* * *

><p>"Oh...owies..." Koalla groaned miserably as she slowly rose up to consciousness. With the first thing she became aware of being the monstrous headache that was thundering within her skull. "The big green meanie...what did she - huh?!" The exuberant princess tried to massage her throbbing temple, only to realize that she couldn't move. Surprise spurring her to consciousness, Koalla forced her eyes open, and quickly gasped in shock.<p>

The first thing she noticed was that she was presently surrounded by mountains of scrap metal. Wrecked cars, ruined appliances, and other forms of metallic refuse all piled up as far as the eye could see. It was quite easily one of the most depressing sights that the youthful inventor could have imagined. "Ugh...this place is nasty!" Koalla grumbled as she continued to look about, taking stock of her situation. "But - where - _ack!"_

One look down was all it took for Koalla to realize why she had been unable to massage her aching head; a large section of pipe had been wrapped about her upper body, pinning her arms to her sides. With this realization returning her to full awareness, she looked down to find herself seated on a large, metal disk of some kind. Then she looked up to see a large, thick cable behind her, one that led up to a large crane.

"Oh, a crane with a magnet!" Koalla realized, continuing to glance about. "That must be what they use to move stuff around here!" Turning as best as she could, she looked down at the machine itself, and more importantly at the cab. "Um, excuse me! Is anybody in there?" When no one responded to her plea, she took a breath and tried again. "Please? I'd really like to get out of heres!"

Again, there was no response. Nothing to indicate that there was anyone manning the crane, or anywhere in earshot. "Oh...guess nobody's here..." Koalla groaned in dismay. "Too bad I didn't bring any gadgets that could -"

The loud rumbling of her stomach cut Koalla off, causing her eyes to pop wide open in dismay. "Oh, no...my stomach's getting rumbly!" the active blonde groaned, once again looking about. Only to find that there wasn't anything that even remotely resembled food anywhere within view, let alone within reach. "Aww...can't _anybody _hear me?!"

Koalla's pitiful wail echoed throughout the scrap yard, but there was no response to her plea for help. No knight in shining armor coming to her rescue, no sign of Motoko, no policemen or anything.

"Aww...!" Koalla groaned once again, only to furrow her brows as she thought of the one who had to be responsible for her present predicament. "That big green meanie! Why'd she have to leave me here?! It's so boring and there's no one to play with and not even anything to eat!" Her frustrated grumblings were met by yet another growl from her protesting stomach. Growls that she wasn't able to do anything about. "Oh, _please! _Can't _somebody _help me?! _I'm bored and hungry and lonely and I hate this stupid place!"_

Again, there was no answer to Koalla's pleas. Leaving her nothing to do but to continue to wail helplessly.

* * *

><p>"Jade...left Koalla...tied to a crane magnet in the middle of the old scrap yard?!" Keitaro gaped in utter astonishment.<p>

"Um...that's...right, sempai..." Shinobu admitted with considerable reluctance. "She...figured that a place filled with nothing but broken machines would be the last place Koalla would want to be, so..."

Unable to argue against the logic of this and not wanting to say or do anything that might make Shinobu feel any worse, Keitaro decided to stick to business. "And...Motoko? What did she do with her?"

Shinobu again groaned miserably. "Uh...well..."

* * *

><p>The first thing Motoko became aware of as she made the difficult journey back to the waking world was the monstrous pain throbbing in her head. Groaning fitfully as she brought her hand to her temple, she massaged her aching head as she instinctively propped herself up into a seated position. "Oh...where...am I? What -?"<p>

Even as she asked these questions, memories washed through Motoko's mind. An instant later, she was fully awake even as her eyes flew open. "The demon!" she gasped in shock, immediately whipping her gaze this way and that, searching for any sign of her foe. "Where is she?! I'll -!"

Then the sword mistress realized that the muscle-bound green fiend was nowhere in sight. And more to the point, neither was the place she had faced that monstrosity. Instead, Motoko found herself in a rocky area, filled with numerous ponds and areas of sand. There was no apparent signs of civilization, or that there was anyone else around.

"That demon...she must've dumped me here..." Motoko mused as she pushed herself back up to her feet. "Wherever here is."

As Motoko studied her surroundings, the first thing she did was take stock of her situation. As she looked herself over, she quickly discovered that her kimono jacket and hamaka were in tatters. The sleeves and pants legs had been torn off, and much fabric had been ripped away from the area of her bodice, rendering her once proud garment looking like something a whore would wear. "That green fiend..." she muttered, clenching her fist as she brought her other hand up to the finishing touch to her disgrace; the noble blade of Shisui, still wrapped about her throat. "First she disgraces me, then defiles Shisui, and then the uniform of the Shinmei-Ryu...!" she hissed furiously, tears welling up as she shook her head, scarcely able to comprehend the depths of her dishonor. "How...dare she...!"

For a long, terrible time, Motoko wanted little more than to fall to her knees and collapse into tears. As she fingered the ruined weapon that still hung about her neck like a noose, she found herself flashing back to the day when her sister Tsuriko had trusted Motoko with her favorite sword before embarking on missions for the Shinmei-Ryu Dojo. Since that day, she had carried Shisui with pride, never allowing herself to be without it. It was more than a weapon to her. It was the symbol of her pride as a warrior, of her honor. And now...

_No. Shisui is bent, not broken,_ Motoko solemnly reminded herself. _If I can get it off of me, there's always a chance it can be repaired. Can see battle again. _Then she glanced down at her ruined garments, she scowled. _And clothes...they can be replaced. I've damaged my garments in the past, and it will likely happen again in the future. I can replace these rags. I can restore Shisui. I can reclaim my honor._ As the swordswoman fueled her anger over the depravity she had been subjected to, she thought of the arrogant, malicious demon that was responsible for the sorry state of her prized weapon, her clothes, and her honor. _Can claim vengeance on that filthy monstrosity..._

But before she could do that, Motoko would first have to get back to the Hinata Inn. Which meant that she had to discover where she was, or at least get to someplace where the terrain was familiar or she could ask for her location. So even as she narrowed her eyes in hatred for the creature that had so disgraced her, her school, and her weapon, she started forward. The terrain was somewhat rough, with several large boulders amidst the ponds and other natural obstructions, but it would not deter her. Nothing would stop her from redeeming herself.

Before the kendo practitioner could go more than half a dozen steps, however, a raised voice was heard in the distance. Sucking in a gasp, Motoko instinctively froze and began looked about, scanning for the source of the voice. For if the emerald oni had returned, or some other form of hostile was coming her way, she did not want them to see her.

_Not that I'd _ever _want _anyone _to see me like _this_!_ Motoko grimaced, tensing for action. Waiting and watching as the voice grew louder and more distinct. _Still...if it _is _that demon...!_

Images of the brutal savagery she had already endured dancing in her mind, Motoko waited and carefully listened. "- and I hope you enjoy your trip through the nature preserve of the Hinata Zoo!" came the voice. A voice that was most definitely _not _that of the arrogant emerald fiend. "Let me direct your attention to your right, where you can see some of our big cats! Lions, tigers, and jaguars, oh my!"

Letting out a sigh of relief as she realized that it was not the green demon, or any other hostile, Motoko very nearly mopped her brow. _I am in no condition for combat. Not like this, and -_ Then her eyes popped open as the voice's words registered with her. _Wait...I'm at the Hinata Zoo?!_ At this realization, the swordswoman glanced about at her surroundings. _Then...I must be in one of the enclosures! With the animals!_

Now Motoko was doubly concerned. While she was adept at unarmed combat, she was nowhere near her peak, having recently been pushed to her limits by her battle with the green fiend. To make matters even worse, she had no idea what animals were in the enclosure the demon had apparently left her in. _The man speaking - he must be the guide for a tour - he mentioned big cats!_ At this, the tattered martial artist again glanced about her surroundings. _That means...this might be _their _enclosure!_

As Motoko considered this dread possibility, the more likely it became in her mind. _The demon said that she had other plans for us,_ she thought, recalling the green beast's words before she had knocked the swordswoman unconscious. _Apparently, she intended to make our ends slow and painful, and likely as humiliating as possible. So she dropped me her at the zoo, in the hopes that whatever predators here will do her dirty work._

As much as Motoko was disgusted by this glaringly dishonorable tactic, she had to admit that there was a good chance that the demon's hopes were not without base. This raised the stakes considerably, and made it that much more important that she escape her predicament as quickly as possible. Crouching low to the ground, making certain to keep her senses keened for any sign of an approaching predator, the kendo practitioner crept forward, taking advantage of every bit of cover she could find. Passing a small pond, she then made her way to a nearby boulder and pressed herself against it, doing her best to remain undetected by any predatory beasts that might be present.

_Let's see now...this is a zoo, which means that, whatever they keep in here, they must have some means of feeding it, as well as tending it when it is sick,_ Motoko reasoned as she continued to scan her surroundings. _Which means that there _has _to be a way for zoo personnel to get in and out! All I have to do is find it, and then - huh?!_

Something was wrong, and as focused as Motoko was on scanning for an exit and potential threats, it took her several seconds to realize what that something was; the boulder she was pressed against was moving. Once she realized this, the tensed warrior flung herself away from it and looked up, certain that this movement meant a predator or some other danger. But even as she braced herself for a potential attack, Motoko realized that there was nothing in sight. No big cat, no other form of predator. Nothing was moving the rock...except for the rock itself.

As Motoko wrestled with this impossibility, she stared incredulously at the large boulder. Only to suck in a gasp as she realized that there were now four legs sticking out of the boulder's sides. "Huh?!" she squawked, too confused and upset to make sense of this. "But - is that -?!"

Even as she was reaching a dread conclusion, Motoko continued to stare fearfully, hoping against hope that she was wrong. Only to have her worst fears confirmed when a reptilian head emerged from the boulder to look at her. Eyes narrowing at her even as a beaked mouth opened, making a sound of annoyance.

It was hideous. Horrific. An abomination. A nightmare made real. Even more terrifying than the green fiend that had crushed Motoko's honor.

And it was staring right at her.

_"T-t-turtle!"_ Motoko shrieked in abject horror, hurriedly backpedaling from the large reptile. Completely out of her mind with terror, she distanced herself from the tortoise until she wound up falling backwards into a nearby pond.

Stunned by the sudden shock of cold and the wetness, Motoko instantly closed her mouth. Only for her eyes to widen sharply when she saw a couple of turtles swimming lazily in the pond. Then one of them glanced her way. Upon taking notice of this strange intruder, the turtle angled itself to investigate.

The instant she saw that the repugnant reptile approaching, Motoko expelled all the air she had in her lungs in one mortifying scream before virtually flying out of the water. Coming to her feet on dry land, the martial artist then whirled towards the pond, gasping for air. She continued to back away, only to back into what felt like a large, smooth stone. Already badly shaken by her earlier encounters, she quickly turned to look at this latest obstruction. And discovered to her mortification that it was another, even _larger _tortoise.

"Myah?" the tortoise sounded as it looked at this strange intruder.

_"AAAAAaaaaaahhhhh!"_ Motoko shrilled, now too scared to so much as back away. "What _is _this awful place?!"

As if somehow acting in response to Motoko's scream, the voice she had heard earlier sounded once more. "And over here on your left you'll see our next exhibit. Get ready to enjoy...the wonderful world of _turtles!"_

This was all the prompting Motoko needed to shriek in horror. _I'm in the _turtle _exhibit?! That miserable, evil, hateful demon left me in the _turtle _exhibit?!_ she cried out inwardly, wildly searching for any means of escape. _She couldn't have left me to be eaten?! She had to subject me to even more disgrace?! She -?!_ But just as the martial artist was losing herself to utter and complete madness, salvation came within view; a long, segmented touring cart, loaded with tourists who were snapping pictures and recording videos of what they saw. Even now, she could see and hear the man driving the cart telling the happy customers all about the hideous denizens of the turtle exhibit.

Under normal circumstances, Motoko would have refused to go anywhere near that tour troop. Even if she had been locked in there with the largest of predators, she would have gladly hidden and waited for them to pass before trying to make her way out. It was already bad enough that she had been so thoroughly disgraced. She would have died before allowing anyone else to see her in her current sorry state, let alone risk having her disgrace being immortalized by them.

But Motoko wasn't locked away with predators. She was trapped with turtles. And in her mind, there was nothing more terrifying than that. So without a single thought as to the shame she was about to bring down upon herself, she leapt up into the sky, and started running towards the tour group while still in mid-air.

The trip through the turtle enclosure seemed to last an eternity, and that eternity was fraught with absolute terror. It was as if, now that she knew where she was, Motoko saw turtles everywhere she went. She bumped into them, fell into the water with them, tripped over them, and very nearly collided with them. And each encounter sent Motoko screaming in yet another direction, requiring her to constantly adjust her course so that she was again fleeing towards the tour group and the boundary of the enclosure.

Finally, with freedom for this horrible place finally in sight, Motoko's ears pricked at an inhuman voice going, "Myuh!"

_What?!_ Motoko cried out inwardly, freezing with fear. A drop of sweat rolling down her face as she purpled with even deeper fright, she thought, _No...it can't be! Not _that _as well!_

"Oh, look, everyone! We're in luck!" came the tour guide's voice, completely at odds with Motoko's unspeakable terror. "There's a cast of those little wonders of nature, the hot springs turtle!"

"Myuh!" came the voice once more, and this time, Motoko was unable to keep herself from looking.

Then it was all she could do not to pass out in sheer fright.

The voice was indeed that of the hot springs turtle, the same species as Tama, the pet in residence of the Hinata Inn. But as indicated, this hot springs turtle was not alone; there had to be at least a dozen of them, possibly more, moving towards Motoko, beaming happily. The swordswoman could practically see little heart-shapes surrounding them as they closed in on her.

And they were closing in very fast. Courtesy of the fact that the hot springs turtle just happened to be able to _fly._

"Myuh myuh!" the lead hot springs turtle gushed as it and its fellows soared happily towards Motoko.

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_ Motoko shrieked, what little sanity she had left abandoning her. Without as much as a thought, she shot towards the tour group, fearfully aware of the cast of turtles happily pursuing her. _"Get me outta here!"_

Motoko was aware of almost nothing. Virtually everything had been obliterated by the mind-crushing terror she was experiencing. All she knew aside from that was that the hot springs turtles were closing in from behind, and that the tour group was growing closer. Even as she fled her personal nightmare, tourists were taking notice of her approach and pointing at her.

_Yes! Yes! Here I am!_ Motoko pleaded to them, begging in her mind to be rescued from this hellish place. _Just wait a few moments, and I'll -!_

Motoko's pleas were brought up short just as she about to reach the tour group...and was reminded of one very important fact about the Hinata Zoo's enclosures; that they were all fenced off with plexiglass.

Just before she could reach the tour group that had looked like salvation in her panic, Motoko crashed face-first into the plexiglass wall that kept the animals in and the tourists out. Her mind filled with stars and comets from the force of the impact, the swordswoman groaned in pain as she sank down against the transparent wall. Mildly aware of the tourists snapping pictures of her disgrace and the turtles swooping down upon her just before she sank back down into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>"She...ripped up Motoko's clothes..." Keitaro gasped, his eyes rounding as Shinobu described Motoko's punishment at Jade's hands, "...and dumped her in the <em>turtle exhibit<em> at the Hinata Zoo...?!"

Even more uncomfortable than before, Shinobu eventually nodded. "Uh...yeah..." she admitted, sweat rolling down her face. "I - she - remembered how Motoko was when we...had her try on those...fancy outfits. You...remember that...right, sempai?" Issuing a groan of confirmation, Keitaro slowly nodded as the blue-haired girl went on to say, "So...Jade ripped up Motoko's clothes so that they...looked like a skirt and everything, and made her sword look like a bow and ribbon. And...we all know how scared Motoko is of turtles. So..."

"So...Jade decided...that locking her up with turtles would be a good way of getting back at her..." Keitaro breathed, unable to believe he was hearing this.

It was getting harder and harder for Keitaro to believe that Shinobu and Jade were in fact the same person, despite having just seen the latter change into the former. The two of them were so drastically different from one another; Shinobu was so sweet, meek, and mild-tempered, while Jade had been loud, confident, and aggressive.

_Then again...Koalla changed a lot when she became her adult self, so..._ Keitaro thought, reminding himself of another bit of the insanity of his life. Then he pushed the matter away and returned his focus to the current situation. "And...after all of that..._that's _when you - Jade - brought me back here?"

"That's right," Shinobu confirmed, pausing to swallow a lump of bile in her throat. "I know I - she - should've brought you back right away, sempai, but - Jade - she was really mad, and...didn't want them to try and hurt you, and..." As her voice fell beneath the weight of her words, tears billowed up in the blue-haired girl's eyes as she reached out and wrapped her arms about Keitaro. "Oh, sempai, _I'm so sorry! I never meant for -!"_

"No no no, you don't have to apologize!" Keitaro assured her, pausing just a moment to remind him that nobody was going to send him into Low Earth Orbit for touching a girl before returning Shinobu's embrace. Doing his best to convey as much comfort as he could, he simply held onto the blue-haired girl for a long time, saying nothing as her tears socked his shirt, as her fearful sobs filled the room. Saying nothing and doing nothing but allowing her to vent her grief, shame, and misery.

When at last Shinobu's sobbing subsided somewhat, Keitaro sighed and loosened his grip on her, adjusting his position so as to look her in the face. "Look...Shinobu...this isn't your fault. If anything, it's mine. You went down into Koalla's lab to find out what was going on, when it's supposed to be _my _job to take care of everything here."

"But - _no!_ Sempai, you shouldn't have to deal with her!" Shinobu hurriedly protested. "I - you should have heard Koalla when I was talking to her in her lab! She - she said that she wished you'd try and sneak in there so she could shoot you! Blowing people up and stuff, it's all a _game _to her, and - and -!"

"I know. Koalla, she..." Keitaro began, trying to find some way of phrasing it. Only to frown somewhat as he ran down the various possibilities. Simply chalking up her antics to exuberance or being overly excitable didn't work, especially not in light of what had happened when Kimiaki and Masayuki snuck into her lab. And there was no way he could excuse her idea of 'playtime' as being harmless, especially not after being on the receiving end of an especially vicious helping of particle beams, machinegun fire, and missiles. All of which the Molmol girl happily considered harmless fun.

"She's...difficult to deal with," Keitaro finally said, deciding that this was as a good a way of politely phrasing it as any. "But - anyway, I...I'm not mad at you or anything, Shinobu! I swear, I'm not!" Then he gave her a kindly smile before going on to add, "If anything...I should be thanking you for what you - Jade - did."

This stopped Shinobu's misery instantly. Even her tears seemed to freeze in their trek down her face as she gazed at him in slack-jawed amazement. "What...?" she murmured in low amazement. "But - sempai, she - I -!"

"Don't get me wrong; what Jade did - torturing the others, kidnapping them, trying them up and all that...that was wrong," Keitaro explained to her, his voice more certain now. "She went way too far in trying to deal with them. I understand that she did what she did in order to protect me, but - it should have stopped there. She could have gotten me away from Naru and the others, but instead, she attacked them. And that - that's wrong." With each word, Shinobu's face fell a little more, until she was staring at the floor. At which point he smiled reassuringly and added, "But - I also know that...while she may have gone about it the wrong way, that Jade - you - was just trying to help me. To keep me safe." Waiting as Shinobu slowly met his gaze once more, he smiled reassuringly and added, "And...I really do appreciate it."

Her eyes widening in astonishment, Shinobu simply rested in Keitaro's arms for a long time before sniffing and smiling. "R-really?"

"Really," Keitaro assured her. "Like I said, she went too far, but...I'm sure whatever was happening, it was a side-effect of this...this transformation. And that's _definitely _not your fault." Continuing to cradle Shinobu, he then moved to wipe the tears from her face. "Now, please stop crying! You don't have anything to feel guilty about! We'll...figure this out, Shinobu! We'll take care of Naru and the others, deal with Jade, and...we'll make it alright. I _promise, _we'll make it alright!"

The result was immediate; Shinobu broke out in a smile of clear, extraordinary relief even as she sniffed again. "Th-thanks, sempai..." But even as Keitaro was congratulating himself for successfully salving the young girl's guilty conscience, she frowned and asked, "But...how?"

This completely threw Keitaro, who could only blink in confusion. "Huh?"

"How're we gonna deal with...Jade?" Shinobu hesitantly tried again. "We - we don't know what was in that slime of Koalla's, or how it works or anything! And...Koalla's the only one who might know what it did to me, and...if we told her, then...!"

It didn't take Keitaro long to realize where she was going with this, at which he grimaced. Koalla was the only person who likely had any clue as to how the green slime had affected Shinobu, and she was also someone that they couldn't afford to tell about it. Both Jade's and Shinobu's accounts had made it clear that Koalla would have a great deal to be angry about when they finally tracked her down, as would Naru and Motoko. And given the Molmol girl's big mouth, telling her of Shinobu's condition would be as good as telling the rest of the world. _And if Naru and Motoko get mad at me for tripping or saying the wrong, then what will they do to Shinobu if they ever found out...?_

Keitaro couldn't even finish this dread thought, and to his mortification, he didn't even have to. His imagination gladly provided a montage of horrific images drawn from his disastrous past experiences of how Naru, Motoko, and Koalla would seek vengeance for what Jade had done to them. And it did so with Shinobu as herself, not the powerful Amazon that was more than capable of defending herself.

Blanching at this horrific montage, Keitaro grimaced before trying to think of a way around this. Several seconds passed as he forced himself to think, before he finally came up with something. "I - well, the first thing we need to do is...we need to tell Aunt Haruka about this." When Shinobu sucked in a surprised gasp, the perpetual ronin went on to explain, "We can't let Naru and the others find out that you - that you were Jade. I don't know what they'd do if they did, but I don't want to find out." A beat passed before the blue-haired girl blanched and gave a shaky nod. "Well, I'm sure that Aunt Haruka will help cover for you, and she can help us or the police find Naru and the others and get them out of the messes Jade left them in. Once all that's done, we can get to work on dealing with Jade."

Pressing her lips together in a manner that betrayed her nervousness, Shinobu eventually nodded. "Well...o-okay, sempai."

Nodding in response, Keitaro then focused on the first order of business. "Okay, then. I'll call Aunt Haruka, tell her to get back here as soon as possible. So..." Then he paused to study Shinobu, as well as Naru's ill-fitting clothes that Jade had basically ruined. "Why don't you go to your room and get changed?"

"Huh? Oh, right!" Shinobu bleated, her cheeks coloring as she turned towards the door. But before she exited, she paused and glanced back at Keitaro, asking, "Um...you'll get me when Haruka-san comes, right?"

"Of course," Keitaro nodded, smiling in a reassuring way. "Now, go on. I'll take care of things from here."

Giving a quick bow of her head, Shinobu exited Keitaro's room, leaving the hapless manager to make his way downstairs to make the needed calls. But as he did, he couldn't help but flash back to a short while ago, when Shinobu had been another person altogether. To the body she had worn.

_I wonder if Shinobu will wind up looking anything like Jade when she grows up?_ Keitaro found himself thinking, recalling full well the green Amazon's stupendous figure, the way her ample breasts had strained Naru's shirt to the limit. _I mean...I doubt she'd be as muscular or anything, but...the rest of it...wow._ Wincing as he felt his body reacting to that succulent image, he then gave a quick shake of his before returning his focus to the task at hand. _One thing's for sure; Shinobu's going to make someone very happy one of these days..._

* * *

><p>"So they've found Motoko?" Haruka gathered as she sat in Gai's patrol car, watching as the officer replace the radio receiver.<p>

"Apparently," Gai returned, a smug smile clinging to his lips. "A girl matching her description was found at the Hinata Zoo turtle exhibit. She was running around like a loon before she knocked herself out, running face-first into a plexiglass wall!" A badly-suppressed chuckle escaping his lips, the officer continued to drive along the streets, heading towards the Hinata Inn. "They've got an ambulance heading there now."

"Good," Haruka nodded, getting a bad feeling about this. "That just leaves Koalla to track down, and my idiot nephew."

"Well, it shouldn't be too hard," Gai assured her in utter confidence. "It's safe to say that that ogre girl was the one who dumped thet kendo nut at the zoo, same as she did with Naru. All we have to do is track her movements, and we'll find the other two, no problem."

Haruka couldn't argue with that. From what she had been able to understand and what she had seen herself, it was obvious that the green Amazon didn't care overmuch about keeping a low profile. As long as there had been someone around to witness her comings and goings, it wouldn't take much effort to figure out where she had been and where she had disappeared to. And with any luck, that would allow them to track down Koalla and Keitaro without any real difficulty.

_But where did this girl come from?! And why did she attack the girls?!_ Haruka couldn't help but wonder, having been given considerable time to ask some nagging questions this situation raised. _From what Naru said, it sounds like this green girl is doing this to protect Kei-kun, but why?! How does she know him?! And why would she string Naru up that way and dump Motoko at the zoo?! In the _turtle exhibit_, of all places?!_

No matter how Haruka considered the matter, there was only one way that it added up; that this green woman somehow knew both Keitaro and the others. She had known he was in danger, and thus had rushed off to his defense. And the way she had dealt with the girls not only showed a great deal of hatred, but even more knowledge. _This girl set out to humiliate Naru, and she knew exactly how to do it..._ Haruka thought with a furrowed brow. _And Motoko...the only people who know about her fear of turtles are myself, Kei-kun, and the rest of the girls. And, well...I guess her sister would know about it as well, but still...how did this girl know about that? Because only someone who _did_ know would decide to leave Motoko where she did!_

All of which led to one conclusion; that this green girl had to know Keitaro and the rest of the people at the Hinata Inn intimately well. And since Haruka was certain that her nephew hadn't befriended any green-skinned muscle girls at cram school, then the only thing that made sense was that this girl wasn't always green. _And that scares me...because I've recently seen someone with green eyes! Someone who _shouldn't _have them!_ the cafe owner thought, recalling the incident that had apparently set this entire mad situation into motion. _Damn...I sure hope I'm wrong about that...!_

Desperately hoping that she was imagining things, Haruka was brought back to the moment when Gai announced, "Well, there it is; the Hinata Inn." As the cafe owner looked up and saw that he was correct, the police officer drove up as close as he could to the main stairway. Once he had put his car in park, he leaned in close to Haruka and smiled wryly. "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious."

Recognizing the reference, Haruka rolled her eyes. "Cute," she muttered as she got out of the car, with Gai quick to follow. "Just be sure to watch out for anything green. Because I know I don't want to wind up like Naru did."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful. Though to be honest...I feel like I owe this ogre girl a big thanks." When Haruka stared at the officer in surprise, Gai admitted, "After all this time, putting up with these crazies while they do go around, doing whatever stupid thing they want? I have to admit that it's nice to know that karma _finally _decided to stick it to them!"

Despite the fact that she honestly couldn't blame Gai for feeling this way, Haruka curtly retorted, "I just hope that karma didn't stick it to Shinobu. Or my nephew, for that matter." Watching as this statement sobered the officer, the cafe matron took a deep breath before turning her gaze towards the Inn. "C'mon. Let's just -"

The sound of Haruka's cell phone caused her to fall silent, save for an annoyed grumble. "Ugh...who could be calling now?!" she wondered, glaring irately at the phone, sorely tempted to just ignore it.

"You better answer that," Gai suggested, seeming to read Haruka's mind. Or at the very least, her sour expression. "It could be your nephew. Or one of the girls."

Glancing over at the police officer, Haruka soon decided that he had a valid point, and with a sigh of reluctance, reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Snapping it open and pressing the right button, she muttered, "Hello?"

"Au- I mean, Haruka!" came Keitaro's voice, rife with excitement.

"Kei-kun!" Haruka gaped, so overcome with surprised relief that she actually missed how close he had come to using the wrong word with her. "How - where the hell are you?!"

"I'm back at the Hinata Inn!" Keitaro announced, further surprising the teashop owner. "I - uh - it's a really long story, and -!"

"Wait a second - you're _here?! _At the _Inn?!"_ Haruka demanded, more than a little shocked and not liking it in the least. "When did _that _happen?!"

"I _said _it was a long story, and -!" Then Keitaro cut himself off, a frown decorating his next words. "Wait...you said 'here'...does that mean -?"

"I'm at the base of the stairs, leading up to the Inn," Haruka announced, gazing up to the edifice in question. "But - wait. Keitaro, is Shinobu in there? Is she alright?"

There was a distinct pause, followed by a noise that Haruka had heard coming from Keitaro's throat in times of uncertainty. "Well...yeah. Shinobu's - well, she's in her room," he hesitantly responded. Even as alarm bells went off in the Urashima woman's mind, her nephew continued with. "Look, uh...there's something really important I need to talk to you about." A beat passed before he added, "In private."

The alarm bells suddenly turned into klaxons warning of an impending iceberg. Something bad was going down, something that Keitaro wanted to keep under wraps, and Haruka did not like it. Pausing to glance at Gai, she frowned slightly. The police officer was no idiot; if she tried to get him to leave without properly checking things out after spending so much time being concerned and wanting the police here, then he would be the one with alarm bells going off in his mind. "We can talk later, Keitaro," Haruka declared in a no-nonsense manner. "But I should warn you that the police have been hearing a lot of bad things lately, and they want some answers!"

"Wait - the _police _are here?!" Keitaro cried out in clear alarm. "I - no! I can't -!"

"We can talk about it later, Keitaro! I'll be up in a few minutes!" Haruka declared before snapping her phone shut.

Watching as Haruka returned her phone, Gai raised an eyebrow before asking, "Do I even want to know what that was about?"

"Just me straightening my idiot nephew out," Haruka replied. "He claims that he and Shinobu are here, and perfectly fine. But...well, I'd still feel better if I was sure that green girl wasn't anywhere around. Would you mind looking around the premises while I check in with my nephew?"

A beat passed before Gai shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he finally replied. "Couldn't hurt to look this place over."

Pausing to watch as the police officer made his way up the stairs, one hand on his gun, Haruka nodded to herself before heading up towards the Inn as well. When they reached the level of the Inn, Gai went off to the left while the cafe owner entered the Inn. Almost as soon as she had entered, Keitaro appeared before her. "Aunt Haruka, _please!"_ he pleaded to her. "We - we can't have the _police _here! We -!"

"And we can't just get rid of them, either," Haruka countered, not willing to let herself be distracted even for the length of time needed to remind Keitaro not to call her aunt. "Not without attracting a lot of attention. _Especially _since Kitsune already ran off to the police station to let them know that a certain green girl tried to skewer her with a _tree!"_ Sucking in a breath at this, Keitaro seemed to sag in defeat at this. Satisfied that she had made her point, the elder Urashima moved on. "Now, look. Officer Yamada is outside right now, conducting a quick investigation of the area. Which means that you have five minutes to give me the gist of what's going on here, and why you don't want the police here. So I suggest you don't waste any time."

Keitaro opened his mouth, clearly prepared to protest this. But before he could say word one, Haruka skewered him with a look, and the perpetual ronin sagged in clear defeat. "Oh...okay..." Then Keitaro did something that surprised the tea house matron. Her quickly recovered, his features hardening slightly as he gazed at her. "But - Haruka...you have to promise me that, whatever happens, you _won't _tell the police about what I'm about to tell you! Or Naru or Motoko or anyone else!"

The urgency in Keitaro's voice caused the alarms in Haruka's mind to go off once more. For someone who perpetually allowed himself to be made into a doormat for virtually anyone, the fact that he was actually standing up to her both impressed her, and made clear just how serious this situation had to be.

Taking a brief time to consider Keitaro's request, Haruka frowned before responding. "I'm not gonna promise that, Kei-kun. Not without knowing what it is you want to tell me about." When the perpetual ronin opened his mouth to protest, she held up her hand and continued. "I _will,_ however, promise not to tell anybody _without_ first discussing it with you."

It was clear from the look on his face that Keitaro was not satisfied with this. Grimacing as he tried to protest, only to wind up spouting several bungled attempts at speech as he glanced around Haruka, obviously searching for any sign of the police. Clearly caught between his own worries and the fact that he had no idea how long he had until Gai showed up, Keitaro sagged in defeat once more. "Well, alright..." he finally conceded. He looked like he was about to make some additional demand, but then shook his head somberly before turning. "Uh, follow me, and..."

Nodding as her nephew trailed off, Haruka fell instep behind Keitaro. Watching as he walked with a distinct sense of urgency, she followed closely behind, until at last he stopped in front of one of the rooms and knocked on the door. "Shinobu?" he called out in a mild, gentle voice. "Uh...Au- Haruka's here."

"O-okay," Shinobu replied, her voice so shaky that it sounded like she was going to fall apart. Pausing once to glance in Haruka's direction, Keitaro sighed in a way that sounded like he was consigning his soul to the afterlife before sliding the door open.

As soon as the door was open, Haruka looked in to see Shinobu standing before her, carefully studying the floor before hesitantly glancing up at the cafe owner. "H-h-hello...Haruka-san..."

"Shinobu?" Haruka frowned as the alarm bells once again went off in her mind. Only this time, it took much longer for her to realize what the problem was; the blue-haired girl no longer showed any sign of the injuries she had sustained when Keitaro had been Naru Punched right into her. No bruises, no lacerations, none of the injuries she had seen her nephew so carefully treat and bandage.

Somehow, in the short time since Haruka had taken off after Naru and her cohorts, Shinobu had been fully healed. Her injuries gone as if they had never happened.

"What in the...?!" Haruka gasped as she made her way over to the blue-haired girl. Bending down before her, the cafe owner looked her over, even taking one of Shinobu's hands in her own so she could run her free hand over the unblemished skin. Finding not so much as a hint of the massive injuries that had been dealt her. "Shinobu - ?!" Confusion turning into annoyance, the safe matron then turned her gaze towards her nephew. "Keitaro, what the hell is going on here?!"

Flinching in the face of the Urashima woman's gaze, Keitaro shifted about on his feet for a brief time before asking, "Haruka...you...know that...green girl you were talking about before?" When Haruka automatically nodded, he grimaced fearfully. "Well...you see...she's...kinda...standing in front of you..."

As these soft, fearful words exploded in Haruka's mind with the force of an A-Bomb, she swung her eyes from Keitaro to Shinobu. The fearful possibilities that had been dancing in her thoughts earlier coming all together. The bright, sickly green glow she had seen in Shinobu's earlier, the tattered rags she had seen on the green girl during her rampage through town, her coming to Keitaro's defense, and her harsh punishment of Naru and Motoko, all of them coming together to add up to one horrifying result.

And as this result crashed down upon Haruka's consciousness, she sagged and groaned before slowly turning towards her nephew. _"Please _tell me this is your idea of a joke..."

Keitaro's answer to this desperate plea was to squirm about helplessly some more before returning, "Umm...sorry..."

This last bit of hope falling away, Haruka again looked at Shinobu, who looked even more shamefaced. Leaving the cafe owner to groan, bring her hand to her forehead, and mutter, "I need a damn drink..."

* * *

><p>Author's Notes: Well, I was originally planning on getting more done this chapter, but those who follow me on DA know that I am going through a really bad time right now. And in any case, there's a lot that I need to get done, and I thought that everybody would enjoy at least knowing that I haven't abandoned this story. So please, read and review! And maybe check out some of my other works while you're at it?<p>

Vassman, if you enjoyed the Naru punishment, I hope you love what Koalla and Motoko got this chapter.

alichi, don't worry, I have plans for shaping up Keitaro, starting next chapter.

J.V. Hart, yup, Keitaro is the ultimate fall guy of Love Hina. Kitsune is a possible villain. And as for what Koalla is up to...that's something you're gonna have to wait to find out about.

Wonderbee31, well, it's always been my opinion that a Hulk is basically the summation of everything a person normally keeps bottled up. And the girls will indeed be placing the blame elsewhere, as usual. That's something I'll be dealing with next chapter as well.

Shadowsought, the Inn took some damage, but it can be repaired. The city was damaged badly enough that there is no way that anybody will be sweeping what happened under the rug. Which in turn will have its own consequences. I wouldn't worry about the lack of bodies at this point, though that may change. You can bet this mess will be making the evening news. And yeah, Jade just seemed to work for Shinobu's other self. As for Haruka trying to break that cycle you spoke of...that will be coming up next chapter.

Kirbboy, well, I hope you liked Jade's punishment for Koalla and Motoko here. And I really don't understand how anybody could enjoy such blatantly disgusting abuse, either. I once read a story on DA in which the mother wins a bet against her own son, and spends several chapters outright humiliating him and abusing him, with the author going out of his way to justify her every act of maliciousness, and ultimately having the son forgive everything and let her get away with it. And you're right; Naru's actions would only ruin any chance of a working relationship. Well, I think Motoko at least can be redeemed. Naru...not so much. And don't worry, Keitaro is going to have a very healthy relationship. :D

Electric Eclectic, thanks. That means a lot.

Hektols, indeed. And that agreement will be coming into play in the near future. And don't be surprised if Naru and the others wind up in the news. And yeah, Keitaro's on the spot now. Just wait and see.

Gijinka Renamon, yup, some long overdue justice here!

StraightedgeWingZero, sorry, but a few people, people Keitaro can trust, will be let in on Shinobu's secret. As for her learning to transform...wait and see.

pensuka, well, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were one of the original inspirations for the Hulk in the first place.

magical fan18, I hope you enjoyed the bashing Koalla and Motoko got this chapter. And yes, sexism is wrong, no matter which gender is being sexist to the other. I will never understand what's supposed to be funny about such maliciousness and cruelty. As for Shinobu, you can bet that she's going to be making her move in the future.

KamehameGadouken, definite possibilities.

Guest, well, another She-Hulk does make for some possibilities. And Shinobu and Nyamo...ganging up, as it were, would be fun. And believe me, Naru's torment and that of the others has only just begun.

The Sinful, what can I say? It's what's known as Suspension of Disbelief. It's little details like Jade's clothes being obliterated that make the overall story easier to believe. And I am familiar with the term flanderization.

mastergamer45, don't worry. Keitaro's going to be toughening up a bit in the near future.

Lazruth, as you've seen this chapter, Haruka is already being brought into the loop. And they're going to be taking the next step only after a great deal of careful consideration. As for Kanako, I'm bringing her onboard. But whether or not she actually gets in on the romantic angle remains to be seen.

Frosty Wolf, you wanted more Motoko-bashing? You got it!


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